


The Revenge of the Mutants

by 18lzytwner



Series: ThunderCats Third Series [2]
Category: Thundercats (1985)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-27
Updated: 2014-12-12
Packaged: 2019-07-04 13:39:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 23,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15842412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner
Summary: The ThunderCats thought they had taken care of the Mutants the last time they met but they couldn't be more wrong. This time the Mutants have no intention of going away and with the help of an old ally, they just might get away with it too.





	1. Chapter 1

The winter had come and gone and with it spring had sprung with new hopes for the ThunderCats and the good peoples of New Thundra. Now as the sun stayed up longer signifying the end of spring and the beginning of summer the silence from any enemy gave time for pursuits of the off-duty nature. For now, however, Panthro found himself at the Control Room monitors.

"Another quiet evening huh sir?" Punthar asked.

"It would seem so. Makes me nervous," the panther admitted.

"Yeah I know what you mean," the puma nodded.

"Since it's so quiet, let's run a diagnostic on that new backup system," Panthro suggested. The major structural repairs to the Lair had finished up over the winter and the spring had brought the time to add more security measures and backup systems online. The Lair now had a main power room, a generator room, and a secondary power room. The secondary room was located on the opposite side of the Lair from the main power room and the generator and its purpose was to run everything in the Lair should the main power and the generator fail. It would allow the Lair to virtually never go offline which would have been very useful in the war against the Mutants.

"Everything is checking out sir," Punthar smiled.

"Excellent. Now let's try the new advanced warning system," Panthro suggested. The puma to his right nodded and quickly punched up the first new camera. It was part of an inter-atmosphere satellite setup that would alert the Lair to any ships trying to sneak into the planet's air space.

"Camera 1 is looking good. Switching to Camera 2," Punthar informed the ThunderCat. They continued in this manner until all fifty cameras were checked.

"Well it looks like I'll be able to spend the evening reading up on those technical manuals from Third Earth," Panthro heaved a sigh. It was probably the most boring part of the job but necessary to stay in the know and to aide in anything that might be out of place.

"Ten hut!" The guard at the door shouted as Lion-O entered the room, Leanna in tow.

"At ease," Lion-O smiled as he approached Panthro.

"You like giving me a heart attack, don't you?" The panther asked.

"Well you know I can't help myself. Just want everybody to know how it feels," the lion smirked.

"You shouldn't joke like that," Lea shook her head. She'd only discovered her lineage six months ago and had no desire to lose the half-brother she never knew she had.

"You sound like my fiancée. Oh to be married and have a sibling," Lion-O continued to tease. Despite the fact that his half-sister had caused the trouble with his heart, the lion could not help but tease her. Even though they had not known each other long it seemed as if they had actually known each other for their entire lives. No one outside the two of them dared to bring up the incident that led to the lion being off-duty for the last six months.

"Well someone has to look out for you until you have an heir," Lea pointed out.

"This is true. If only the Council would get off my back about making babies, then we'd be all set," the lion rolled his eyes.

"Ugh. I seriously think they only want to know about the baby making because they have nothing better to do with their time. I mean you just got medically cleared for duty, never mind baby-making. Although that isn't the reason you guys came down here though, is it?" Panthro raised an eyebrow.

"Lord no. We came down here as I believe it should be your honor to help Lea through her first shift on desk duty," Lion-O smiled.

"You were cleared for desk duty? That is fantastic," Panthro couldn't help but smile. It had been a rough six months for the lioness but she had managed to not only gain her freedom from the hospital but also the ability to join the ThunderCats. Physically she was prepared to don the uniform and perform her duties but both Pumyra and the hospital's therapist had agreed she was not ready for the mental portion of combat. Still desk duty was a huge step up.

"Yes, I am here to observe and learn all that I can," Lea smiled back.

"Now remember, no pawing each other. Punthar doesn't need to see that," Lion-O teased.

"I can wear a blindfold if my King prefers," Punthar couldn't help but smirk. Lea blushed and Panthro had his jaw open, while Lion-O laughed. The lioness was in no way ready for a physical relationship but that hadn't stopped the two from getting close.

"You better not. I need you keeping an eye on those two," the lion chuckled.

"Yes, sir," he winked.

"All right, I'm off and running. Cheetara said that we have to figure out the reception details this evening," the King explained.

"Have fun," Lea smiled as he left the room.

"So where should we start?" She asked, turning to Panthro.

"Well I guess let's start with a quick run over of the equipment in the room and go from there," the panther said. He stood and walked over to where Punthar was sitting and ripped the seat out from under him. The puma hit the deck hard and let out a yelp.

"That was uncalled for," he said as he rubbed his backside.

"It really was," Lea shook her head and helped him off the floor.

"I didn't do anything. Cassius, you see anything?" Panthro asked the guard at the door.

"See what sir?" The pumiger asked.


	2. Chapter 2

So while Leanna learned the ropes in the control room, Lion-O met Cheetara in his office so they could talk about the reception for their wedding. It had been a whirlwind romance so far but considering how the two of them had actually been teasing one another for so long it really was unexpected. That and given Lion-O's diagnosis they decided that waiting just wasn't an option.

The King of New Thundera was still working to recover from the events of six months ago. He had been cleared to do his Kingly duties but not for Lord of the ThunderCats duties. His heart was stronger than it had been in a long time but the eventual requirement for a pacemaker still left too many questions for the doctors. They feared that going back on full active duty would push the pacemaker to the limits and if it broke then that would be even worse. Due to the injuries he sustained and the exhaustion he suffered before them, the pacemaker was the only option to relieve the arrhythmia that had developed. His heart was struggling to pump the blood to where it needed to go and the slow beating of the organ was the reason his color and circulation had taken a rather ugly turn. Now he seemed very healthy but there were still limitations to what he could do. He had been promised by the doctors that eventually that would go away but he had to build up his endurance and do it slowly so they could see how the pacemaker was doing.

"You seem preoccupied," he said as he entered his office to find the cheetah staring off into space and not at the book in her lap. She had curled up on the couch that resided along the far wall of the room.

"Huh?" She asked shaking her head as he sat down next to her.

"Exactly. Everything ok?" Lion-O wanted to know.

"Oh I was just looking at this book from the caterer and it hit me that my mom won't be here to celebrate with us. She would have loved to help me pick out my dress and give me ideas on the food and what kind of party to throw. I miss her so much," Cheetara explained, pulling her lips over her teeth and back into her mouth, it was only something she did when she was thinking or sad and Lion-O understood all too well what was going through her head.

"I was thinking the same thing about my dad except for the dress part, he'd probably frown about that," he admitted as he pulled her close.

"Your father would be very proud of you," she smiled slightly with a small chuckle.

"For wearing a dress?" The lion teased.

"For being man enough to wear one, yes," she laughed again before continuing,

"He'd be proud of you for all that you've done and the Cat you have become."

"Well I could say the same for your parents," he smiled.

"I don't feel like looking at this book anymore," she admitted.

"I told you we could let Snarf set it up," the lion chuckled as he knew that she had not wanted that. Snarf was more than willing to help but she had wanted to look at all the options and pick what she and her betrothed wanted – not what Snarf thought they wanted.

"No, I just…" she didn't finish the sentence as she put her lips on his.

"Somehow I don't think one little kiss will satisfy me this time," he waggled his eyebrows.

"The doctors…" she started.

"They said no sex. They didn't say anything about making love," the lion was pushing his luck but the fact that they'd been tamping down their desire for so long had caused it now to be boiling near the surface, especially now that he was free of the hospital bed.

"Right here in your office?" She asked as his lips found his neck and his hands roamed her body.

"The door is locked and the "Do Not Disturb" sign is out," Lion-O chuckled.

"If you feel anything you're not supposed to, you need to tell me," she said as she more actively met his touches with some of her own. He only nodded and it wasn't long before articles of clothing began to fly onto the floor.

In the Control Room, Panthro had finished showing Lea everything and he had her sit next to him as they monitored the cameras and the planet.

"I'm guessing this job can get kind of boring," the lioness said.

"At times but boring is better than being on alert," the panther admitted.

"I've got Camera 5 picking something approaching," Punthar alerted them.

"Put it up on the big screen," Panthro ordered.

"Permission to come aboard?" Mandora smirked into the camera lens from atop her motorcycle.

"Permission granted. To what do we owe the pleasure?" The panther asked.

"Something for ThunderCat ears only," the Evil Chaser said.

"Proceed to the hangar and I'll meet you down there," Panthro told her.

"Roger," she nodded and the communication ended.

"Stay here with Punthar and I'll go see what Mandora needs," the panther turned to the lioness. She nodded and gave him a slight smile before he headed out of the room.


	3. Chapter 3

"What is so urgent that it couldn't wait until the morning?" Tygra asked before yawning. He'd only gone to bed a couple hours before after getting off the morning shift. He was back on duty at eleven that evening and sleep was something he desperately wanted before he started his second shift.

"Scuttlebutt and possible payback," Mandora address the half-asleep tiger.

"Scuttlebutt could have waited," Tygra shook his head.

"Payback?" Ben-Gali asked.

"Oh yes. Seems our little stunt six months ago did not go unnoticed by the Mutant high command," the Evil Chaser explained.

"What is taking Lion-O so long?" Pumyra wanted to know.

"He didn't answer my radio call to his office so I sent Lynx-O down to check on him," Panthro told the group.

"You sent the blind Cat to go check on your King?" Mandora raised an eyebrow.

"In case there was stuff that nobody needed to see," the panther said. They all looked at each other and discovered that the only Cats missing were Lion-O, Cheetara, and Lynx-O.

"Well played good sir," Ben-Gali gave him a wink and under the table grabbed Pumyra's hand. She gave his hand a squeeze and then directed her eyes directly into his. He gave her back a small smile. Later, they would be playing their own game of cat and mouse.

"Sorry about that," Lion-O smiled as he entered the room. Not one hair was out of place and he looked as if he'd only been sitting at his desk engrossed in some paperwork.

"Did I miss something?" Tygra asked as he looked the young King over and then turned to his brother tiger.

"I think we all did," Ben-Gali shrugged as Cheetara took a seat next to him. She too looked as though she had been only digging through the book from the caterer.

"I smell a rat," Pumyra chuckled.

"You and me both sister," Mandora smirked.

"What's going on?" Lion-O looked around the room.

"I believe there was some debate about what exactly was taking you so long to get to the meeting my liege," Lynx-O spoke up as he took his seat.

"Lively food discussions that is all," the lion told them before focusing on Mandora.

"Right and I'm the Easter Bunny," the Evil Chaser smirked before continuing,

"I came here tonight because we have scuttlebutt that we are in the process of confirming."

"What kind of scuttlebutt?" Panthro wanted to know.

"The kind where the Mutants amass an army and attempt to lead an assault on New Thundera and Third Earth simultaneously," Mandora said.

"How would that be possible? They don't have the ships nor the man power to launch such an offensive," Lion-O wanted to know.

"It seems the target date is the day of your wedding. They're using the national holiday as cover. They'll attack while everyone is watching their King and new Queen. My guess is that they will try to assassinate you in an attempt to squash any resistance," the Evil Chaser did not mince words.

"Any proof of that?" Tygra gave her a look.

"My spies are good. I've never had a reason to doubt them yet. They are in the process of getting me hard evidence but I wanted to bring it to your attention now. We know from surveillance that the Mutants are stockpiling weapons and running maneuvers," she explained.

"Great Jaga," Lion-O murmured.


	4. Chapter 4

"So what steps should we take to counteract this problem?" Panthro asked.

"Well I think the best thing to do would be to move up the wedding date. You'd squash any attempt at whatever exactly the Mutants are planning. They won't go off half-cocked like they did last time given what happened. This will be a planned, well-coordinated attack that will give them every advantage," Mandora explained.

"We can't move the wedding," Lion-O spoke up.

"Why not?" The Evil Chaser was confused.

"Thunderian tradition dictates that the marriage of the King must take place exactly on the day that the King before him was wed. It is intended to be a way of ushering in the new ruling parties without forgetting those that came before them. To break with such tradition will be seen as blasphemous. Not only that, it will clue the Mutants into the fact that we know what they are up to. It could put your spies at great risk," Lynx-O filled her in.

"The Mutants know of this tradition?" Mandora was surprised.

"I actually thought it to be common knowledge around the universe. All the ruling parties of the Thunderian allies are invited to witness the ceremony and it has been known to be a day where our enemies use our traditions against us. Only once however in our history did the enemy ever win the day. It was a true test of the King and Queen's ability to handle anything together," the lynx said.

"Test of marriage by fire. Wow, you guys don't mess around. So the Mutants are hoping that twice is the charm?" Mandora was seeing where he was coming from.

"Well the first time an attack was successful, Thundera was attacked during the marriage of the new leaders was actually not the Mutants but their cousins the Lunatacs. King Leo the Fifth had squashed an attempt on his father's, Leo the Fourth, life only days prior to the ceremony. Revenge for the murder of those who tried the assassination was swift and by the end of what was to be a blessed day, the Lunatacs retreated, but not before mortally wounding their original target and severely wounding King Leo the Fifth. After the death and burial of his father, the doctors were forced to amputate the left leg of Leo the Fifth. He survived for many years and had many children with his Queen but it was a sober reminder that even Thundera was a target. That is why the tradition still stands. It lets us never forget," Lynx-O told her.

"So then play along with the charade and be ready for them when they come. I like that idea," Mandora nodded.

"Our new systems can handle it and we've been recruiting more ThunderGuard after the last attack. Now that there is confirmation the Mutants are up to no good, we'll double our efforts to have weapons ready," Ben-Gali spoke up.

"Won't they see it coming considering it's almost a tradition?" WilyKat asked.

"Lion-O's rule has been without very much of the same traditions our people held all those years ago on Thundera. My guess is that despite the possibility we'd be ready, the Mutants are gambling that we will not be," Lynx-O smirked slightly.

"It's a good gamble since the last time they came here, we needed to heavily lean on our allies," Pumyra pointed out.

"This is true. If the Mutants were hoping to crush the sprint of the Thunderian people, it really backfired on them," Tygra said.

"Well then that's settled. Shall I put in a request for Evil Chasers to run security at the ceremony?" Mandora asked.

"Yes. We may still need your help depending on what proof your spies bring back but if they believe that there are more or less forces than they think it will be to our advantage. In the meantime, we should pick up production on flying craft and weapons. We keep this between us for as long as possible. If the Mutants find out we know, they'll ramp up production of troops and weapons and then we won't be prepared for them," Lion-O told the group.


	5. Chapter 5

"Ah there they are, my two favorite students," Panthro smiled as he walked into the hangar where the ThunderTank and other vehicles were kept shortly after the meeting. The Tank was as good as new with some improvements and the other damaged vehicles had also been restored to their former glory. Now, new vehicles and weapons were being developed and sent off to the factory for mass production.

"Lord Panthro it is good to see you," Li-en smiled. The liger was finally up on his feet after spending three of the last six months in the hospital.

"Please call me Panthro. It is good to see you my friend. Doing well, I hope," the panther smiled back.

"Oh doing very well. Cavan and I have an announcement and I thought you should be the first to know," the liger was beaming and the aforementioned puma pulled herself out of the vehicle she was working on.

"An announcement? You take me up on my advice?" Panthro winked.

"Yes and we went a little further," Li-en's entire face was practically lit up now. The panther had seen that look before as Cavan showed off the ring which she had been given by her husband.

"Nine months from little tater tots?!" Panthro had a big smile on his face.

"Yes," Cavan was blushing at this point despite the fact that she was so excited to be expecting her first baby.

"That's fantastic! Congrats you two!" He pulled them in for a bear hug.

"What is going on? I haven't seen this much hugging in a room since they got the Tank to fire back up," Lea smirked as she approached the little group. Li-en quickly filled her in and then she hugged them too.

"That is so exciting!" The lioness beamed.

"It really is," Cavan was still blushing.

"We'll have to throw a party soon. First there are some real things that we need to get working on, King's orders," Panthro sobered for a few minutes.

"What does he need?" Li-en asked.

"More weapons and more vehicles. We're ramping up production at the factory. How's that new design for the baby tanks coming?" Panthro wanted to know.

"Excellently, if we do say so ourselves," Cavan smiled before heading over to her desk. She grabbed up the plans and a small three dimensional model and brought them over to the engineer.

"Oooh a sexier thing has never existed except for this lady over here," the panther smirked and it was Lea's turn to blush.

"I was thinking the same thing except about my wife," Li-en smiled.

"What are these going to be able to do?" Lea asked as she looked at the model.

"They are faster, more lightweight, than the ThunderTank, and as you'll notice they are more upright. These are purely for seek and destroy missions rather than transport and defend missions," Li-en explained. The lioness nodded. The model resembled more of the tank models used in the great battles fought when Third Earth was First Earth than they did the ThunderTank but there could be no doubts about it; the weapon would be incredibly useful.

"Large caliber Blaster Cannons, small holes in the sides for small arms fire to be directed at the opponents, and built in self-destruct with escape pod modules," Cavan said.

"Escape pod modules? You managed to get them in there?" Panthro wanted to know.

"The top portion of the tank detaches and encloses," Li-en told him.

"Let me look at the specifics. Great work you two. I've got to head back up to speak with Lion-O. I'll take these with and see what he thinks. Thanks!" The panther collected what he needed and moved to exit the room, Lea quickly followed.

"So what's up that you came all the way down to the hangar?" He asked, once they were alone.

"Well my shift ended and I figured that you were out of the very important meeting so I thought we could get some dinner," the lioness smiled slightly.

"Sounds fantastic," Panthro smiled back. They arrived at Lion-O's office and the panther didn't think to knock as the door opened with ease.

"Lion-O we have…" he stopped short when he found Cheetara sitting in the King's lap, their tongues buried in each other's mouths. They both had all of their clothes on but the panther figured that they intended to finish what they had started earlier.

"A knock would have been nice." The lion shook his head as the cheetah carefully extracted herself from his arms and stood beside him.

"The door opened. I figured it was safe," the panther chuckled.

"Well let's just say that I'm weirded out now," Lea spoke up. She had just seen her best friend and he half-brother making out; it was awkward.

"I really need to get a sign or something," Lion-O said before taking the plans and model that Panthro offered him. The panther laughed and laid out the details for him. They were in the middle of discussing the new weapon when a call was beeped into the room.

"Captain Mitsu is on video call, my King," the voice on the Comm said.

"He is? Put him through," the lion was surprised. The Captain had recovered from his injuries and had left Thundera to head for Third Earth where his wife could be better treated. He had also taken up his former command with the ThunderCats Air Fleet.

"My King, it is good to see you," Mitsu smiled slightly.

"And you Captain. How are things?" Lion-O asked.

"Things are why I called. I had two rookies attempting their first atmosphere punch and once they left the planet's surface, they collided with space debris. Debris that should not have been that close to our atmosphere sir," Mitsu explained.

"Are the rookies safe?" Lion-O wanted to know.

"Luckily they are for now but they cannot reenter the atmosphere with their damaged ships. A rescue effort has begun but I'm more worried about the debris sir. Willa and Nada alerted us to more junk dropping down near their Treetop Kingdom. I've dispatched a squad to see if they need help with the cleanup. I'm not sure exactly what it was that exploded but I have a bad feeling that we need to be concerned. We never received any distress calls," the liger admitted.

"Give me a full status update as soon as possible. I'll call Mandora and see if she has any flight plans filed with the Evil Chasers. A ship that large would have needed one," Lion-O ordered.

"Yes, my King," with that the call ended.

"What do you suppose happened?" Panthro asked.

"I don't know but I worry that Captain Mitsu is right. We need to be concerned," Lion-O shook his head.


	6. Chapter 6

"I can't leave you guys alone for five minutes can I?" Mandora asked as Lion-O finished explaining the situation. She was on her bike halfway to Evil Chaser headquarters when she got the call.

"That's what happens when you're popular," the lion chuckled slightly.

"I guess. Let me run a check and get back to you. You guys need anything else? Coffee? Donuts? Alternative forms of birth control?" The Evil Chaser laughed at her own joke. There was silence on the other end which only made her laugh harder.

"The flight plan will do. Thanks," Lion-O managed to get out.

"You're as red as your hair aren't you?" Mandora wanted to know. More silence.

"Take it easy and I'll talk to you soon," she continued to chuckle before disconnecting the call.

"What's going on?" Cheetara asked as she walked back into his office and noticed he seemed flush.

"Nothing, just Mandora making some off color jokes," he said, clearing his throat.

"Oh is the King embarrassed? You were right. You're a kid trapped inside an adult body. The only difference is, you know how to use that body," this made Lion-O very red.

"My King! The rescue mission is cued up on the Control Room screen. You wanted to be alerted," Punthar spoke up from the little receiver on Lion-O's desk.

"Yes… thank… you," he managed to gain enough composure to put some words together.

"Are you all right sir? Do I need to call the doctor?" Punthar was nervous.

"I'm fine. I'll be right down," the lion responded.

"Very good, sir," the called ended and Lion-O stood up.

"Shall we?" Cheetara asked. He gave her a smirk and came around his desk. They headed out into the hallway and made their way down to the Control Room. Lion-O gave her a swat on the bottom as they rounded into the room and she yelped.

"Everything ok?" Panthro asked.

"Just fine. I stubbed my toe," the cheetah lied.

"Fastest Cat alive and she stubs her toe?" Tygra had an eyebrow raised.

"What have we got going on?" Lion-O asked, effectively changing the subject.

"Captain Mitsu has teams rescuing the two trapped airmen. The feed we are getting is from the video cameras that were rigged up on the rescue ship. The debris field is massive," Punthar explained.

"What kind of ship would have been heading for Third Earth?" Pumyra asked.

"Do we have audio? I want to ask the crew to see if they can zoom in on some of the pieces," Lion-O said.

"I'll relay the command to Third Earth and they'll relay it to the ship," Punthar quickly radioed Third Earth.

"It doesn't look overly familiar," Panthro commented.

"I've got a call in from Mandora. The only ship that was supposed to be in our vicinity was a transport ship. One hundred souls on board with cargo. Her name was Calliope," Punthar told them.

"Tell her that we need an investigation team out here," Lion-O said.

"Yes, sir. Anything you would want me to add?" The puma asked.

"The Calliope is dead," Lion-O shook his head as a piece of wreckage floated by the screen, the partial name of the ship giving away just where it belonged – the hull of the Calliope.


	7. Chapter 7

Mandora rushed the Evil Chaser Accident Investigation Squad, or ECAIS for short, over to Third Earth. She also sent a protection detail with them to make sure that whoever destroyed the ship would not interfere with the investigation. While that was going on, she would alert the Space Council of Planets to what happened and have them start an investigation on their end as well.

Lion-O ordered the troops on Third Earth to help as much as they could. He and a couple of ThunderCats would be heading over to the planet in short order but the long flight would bring them in much after things had already gotten underway. Captain Mitsu's team of rescuers was able to save the two pilots and bring them down to the planet surface. The two small aircraft they'd been testing were now part of the accident investigation and had to remain accessible to the Evil Chasers. The damage to them had prevented them from reentering the planet's atmosphere anyway and the Captain ordered that two more prototypes be produced as soon as possible.

"What is the safest path to enter the planet's atmosphere?" Tygra asked from the command seat aboard the Feliner.

"I would put in the coordinates for the Tower of Omens, sir. You should clear the debris field. The Evil Chasers have setup nets that prohibit any more of the pieces of the ship from entering our atmosphere but the pieces that already fell have left some sizeable craters," the radiocat at the Lair on Third Earth explained.

"How many casualties are there from falling debris?" Tygra wanted to know.

"We've got two Warrior Maidens dead while they were out hunting but the majority of the Village was spared thanks to that fire system we installed out there. There was some junk that landed near the Lair but luckily far enough away to just mess up the training fields, which were empty at the time, thank Jaga. We're still getting more reports in so by the time you guys get here we should have a better idea," the cat told him.

"All right. Very good. We'll alert you when we are within an hour of breaking the atmosphere. Until then, Feliner out," the tiger said.

"Until then sir. Third Earth out," with that the radio call ended and Tygra looked over to Ben-Gali who was in the co-pilot seat.

"What are you thinking brother?" The white tiger asked.

"It seems like odd timing for an attack on a transport ship doesn't it?" Tygra wondered.

"I'll agree with you there. We haven't had one raided in years. Now one blows up. I suppose it could have been a terrible accident. You and I both know some of those ships that we get landing outside the Lair are in pretty rough shape," Ben-Gali pointed out.

"You do have a point. Still I get this uneasy feeling," the orange tiger shrugged.

"Understandable since we know what is coming and we have no idea why the ship was headed for Third Earth. It didn't contain any Thunderians and it didn't have any familiar names on the manifest," his co-pilot said.

"How goes it boys?" Lion-O asked. He'd just returned from the secure video call line room that had been added to the Feliner after the last time it needed repairs.

"We're moving along. We've still got about twelve hours left though," Tygra informed him.

"Good," Lion-O nodded.

"So regale us with all the sordid details of what Lynx-O caught you and Cheetara doing the other day," Ben-Gali teased.

"Why?" Lion-O wanted to know; shocked he would ask such a thing.

"Because I want to know if Pumyra and I have tried it yet," that statement earned him a smack in the arm from Tygra.

"You hound dog you," the orange tiger smirked.

"Didn't you guys just make your relationship official? I mean you've only been on like three dates," Lion-O said.

"Please. When we were alone with Lynx-O all that time, do you really think we didn't engage in a little goofing around?" Ben-Gali asked.

"You said you never asked her out on a date!" Tygra looked shocked.

"Well we didn't have any real dates. I mean we stayed inside the fort that we'd built with the Berbils and we shared stories of our lives back home but I wouldn't count those as dates. We've known each other for a long time so after three dates, it seemed like a natural progression. Only problem is, it's hard to stop touching each other," Ben-Gali admitted.

"Uh huh. Hound dog," Tygra smirked. Lion-O laughed.

"Yeah well you keep thinking that until Panthro makes the moves on Lea," Ben-Gali retorted which got him a hit upside the head.


	8. Chapter 8

The Feliner landed on Third Earth as the sun was setting. They were greeted at Cat's Lair and then whisked off to the dining room for some real food. Ben-Gali discovered that the rations on board had passed their expiration date but the group had munched on them anyway hoping they still tasted good. They didn't and the three were starving by the time they got to the planet.

After shoveling in the food, Snarfer escorted them down to the conference room where the leader of the ECAIS, an Evil Chaser named Zuthra, quickly pulled up the information they knew.

"According to the flight data recorder, which we found just before it entered the planet's atmosphere, the ship left port at Space Hub Number Twenty-Seven four days ago. The flight manifest indicated that the flight was not bound for Third Earth or New Thundera. In fact, she was bound for a planet not far from New Thundera called SG-17. The ship was supposed to be a research vessel. The reason given for hugging Third Earth and eventually New Thundera was to avoid confrontation with any unfriendlies and also in case of emergency. Calliope was to contact Third Earth but she never got the chance," Zuthra explained.

"Ok, so what evidence have you discovered of her destruction?" Lion-O asked.

"Blast marks originate on the outside of the pieces of wreckage indicating that she was shot down," the ECAIS leader said.

"Why didn't she call Third Earth for help? They could have scrambled and maybe saved some lives," Tygra was confused.

"Unfortunately we have yet to find the cockpit voice recorder. We may never find it as I said, the data recorder almost burned up in the atmosphere. We've been unable to locate the satellite tracking device that would be pinging if it were still in good shape," Zuthra told them.

"More questions than answers, it seems," Lion-O muttered.

"Yes, so it seems. The full extent of the attack may never be known. The engines have yet to be found and some of the usual large pieces of wreckage we look for are missing as well. Probably the pieces that entered your atmosphere and left you some nice craters," the ECAIS team leader explained.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but if someone did this, wouldn't they be claiming responsibility by now?" Ben-Gali wondered.

"Usually. It is an act of war to destroy a defenseless ship. However there is something that bothers me," Zuthra said.

"More than the silence or the explosion that must have occurred?" Lion-O asked, curious as to what the man was referring.

"I've seen a lot of space accidents and shootings in my day but this one is very weird," the investigator commented.

"Weirder than what we've already seen?" Tygra pushed as he saw Zuthra musing. The gears were turning and they could almost smell the burning of brain cells.

"Space is a vacuum. There is no sound, no ability to be out in it without special suits on. When the ship started to be attacked, no one rushed for the escape pods? The Calliope had enough escape pods to hold all of the people on board and some of their equipment. We found almost half of the pods. They are completely empty," Zuthra commented.

"Perhaps they didn't have time? The final blow came too quickly?" Tygra suggested.

"I have yet to see such an incident where not one person makes the escape pods. Usually if the blast from an attacking ship is powerful enough to destroy the ship in one blast, you don't recover debris. Mostly what you have are small pieces that enter the nearest planet's atmosphere and burn up before even reaching any fly zones," the investigator explained.

"Ok, so here are my thoughts on this. The ship leaves port as it's supposed to. However, somewhere along the way the crew abandons ship. Given that the Calliope is no doubt on autopilot, she continues on her course until someone mistakes it for an ally of Third Earth and blows it up," Ben-Gali spoke up.

"Why abandon a perfectly good ship and not call for help?" Tygra gave him a look.

"Why are more than half the escape pods missing? You don't launch those unless you absolutely have to," the white tiger pointed out.

"We've received no distress calls since beginning the investigation. I contacted the existing scientific crew who is on SG-17. They've heard nothing as well. The data recorder doesn't show a launch of escape pods. Maybe the manifest and what the ship actually had on it are two different things," Zuthra suggested.

"Perhaps. What is on this SG-17 planet? It is the new planet that was discovered a few months ago correct?" Lion-O wanted to know.

"Correct. The planet is believed to have mineral deposits and possible fuel sources. What the scientists have found so far seems promising," Zuthra explained.

"We have been missing the bigger picture. The ship is a decoy and the passengers are now captive of someone who wants to have SG-17 and her secrets to themselves," the King said.


	9. Chapter 9

"Who do we know that has that kind of balls? I mean destroy a ship, capture the scientists, and then vanish without a trace?" Ben-Gali asked.

"Well if Mumm-Ra was still around we wouldn't be having this discussion. However, I don't think we'd have to look that far away from our old dead enemy," Lion-O postulated.

"You really think the Mutants, whilst gearing up for war during your pending nuptials would try something like this?" The white tiger wasn't sure it was possible.

"A new fuel source could be just what they need or just what we need. Either way, they want the scientists to confirm whether or not the sources found on SG-17 do not fall into our hands," Lion-O pointed out.

"I hate to admit it but he's right. How long would a flight to SG-17 be from here?" Tygra asked Zuthra.

"It's about four hours from New Thundera so almost a day. Shall I call Mandora and get her take on this development?" The leader of the ECAIS team wondered.

"Please do. We need an update on what the Space Council of Planets thought as well," Lion-O said.

"All right gentlemen, I'll get right on that. In the meantime, you might as well catch up on your rest," Zuthra suggested.

"That sounded like a plan if Lion-O hadn't decided to tell me a scary story," Ben-Gali chuckled slightly to lighten the mood but it was hard to fathom at the moment.

"Put an alert out for Mutant ships in the area too. Once they are done with those scientists, I fear they will have no use for them," the lion told the Evil Chaser.

"Yes, I fear you are right," Zuthra nodded and left the room. Tygra turned to the other two cats and said,

"Sleep is definitely in order now. We might not get it later. Lion-O, you especially. Can't have that ticker of yours having trouble with you fighting exhaustion and Mutants."

"Yes Snarf. I'll get right on that," Lion-O chuckled while Ben-Gali tried to hold his laughter in but failed miserably.

"That's enough. I'm the oldest of the three of us here so march your fuzzy butts over to the guest chambers," Tygra scolded. This only made them laugh more but they laughed as they left the room and headed for comfortable sleeping arrangements.

Meanwhile, on New Thundera, Cheetara was calling it a morning and waking up for her first shift. Heaving a sigh, she figured it would be a long week without Lion-O and the others but there was nothing to be done about it. The investigation was proceeding and the authorities were handling it while the ground troops kept the planet on high alert in case of possible attacks.

"Coffee?" Lea asked when the cheetah meandered into the Control Room.

"Oh yes please," Cheetara nodded, grateful for the hot liquid.

"Rough night?" The lioness gave her a look as the cheetah almost slammed down the whole cup despite how hot it was.

"What's with the twenty questions?" Cheetara raised an eyebrow.

"That coffee could have removed oil stains from the hangar floor and you slammed it down like it was ice water," Lea commented.

"Just thirsty I guess," the cheetah replied.

"Uh huh," the lioness eyed her friend and knew that something more was going on but she didn't push it. Still as the quiet filled the Control Room, she wondered just what it would take for her friend to tell her what was going on.


	10. Chapter 10

"So you think that they're onto something and I think you're right. So what's the next move?" Mandora asked Zuthra via the video conference call. She was in her guest chambers at the Space Council of Planets headquarters on the far moon of Penal Planet Sixteen.

"Honestly, I think we should send troops to SG-17 and figure out if we can get some more evidence against the Mutants. Any luck from the spies?" Zuthra wanted to know.

"They've confirmed my fears. The Mutants are gearing up for something which usually means only one thing," she pointed out.

"War is a definite then that should be enough for the Council to send a team of Alien Rights Workers to Plundarr and her moons," Zuthra suggested.

"Oh I think so. I'll make sure the Council hears the development when they meet for their morning meeting in an hour. Anything else pop up during the discussion of the case?" Mandora wondered.

"No. Although I would like to voice my concerns about this impending doom," he told her.

"We all have concerns but we're playing it by the ThunderCats' rules. Besides any show of our hand and our allies won't have time to prepare properly for what's coming. As silly as it sounds, waiting is our best option along with keeping an eye on things," she sighed.

"Well at least I'm not the only nervous one," Zuthra gave her a half smile.

"Don't let them fool you; Lion-O and the crew are nervous too. They just have a better way of hiding it," she gave him a wink.

"I suppose so. Well good luck and we'll speak shortly," he said.

"Thanks and we'll talk to you later," with that the call ended and Mandora quickly got to work putting together a report of what had just transpired. While she was working her secret line that came on only in her helmet alerted her to a message incoming. The helmet translated the encrypted message and then waited for her to don the head gear.

"Identification," the robotic voice said.

"Mandora, Evil Chaser First Class," she told it.

"Password," the robotic voice instructed.

"Seven-six-two-eight," she responded.

"Access Granted. Message from Agent sixty-three is as follows: "Mutants have human prisoners from the Science Academy of the Galaxy. Will attempt to figure out what is going on. Next communication in twenty-four hours." With that the message terminated. Lion-O had indeed been right. Quickly the blonde took off her helmet and made a call to the Interplanetary Control Force Headquarters. They needed to know just what was that possible fuel source on SG-17 and quick.

Meanwhile, Leanna and Cheetara were having lunch together. The cheetah's mood had yet to improve despite the coffee and even some Berbil Fruit Tea that Snarf had brought her. Finally, the lioness cornered her at the lunch table with the help of Pumyra.

"All right Spots spill it," Lea said.

"Spill what?" The cheetah gave her a look.

"Whatever it is that's bugging you," Pumyra chimed in.

"I'm not sleeping well that's all," she admitted.

"Well a pot a coffee a day will do that to you," Lea raised an eyebrow.

"All right fine. I'm not sleeping because of the nightmares," Cheetara said.

"What kind of nightmares?" Pumyra asked.

"The kind where Lion-O ends up dead on our wedding day," the cheetah told them.


	11. Chapter 11

The Space Council of Planets had agreed that Mandora's evidence was enough to send Alien Rights Workers with an escort from the Interplanetary Control Force. They could not arrest anyone or levy charges for making war materials but it force any illicit activity to either be shelved while the Workers were there or driven underground. With the help of the spies located on the planets, the information about the troop movement would be very helpful.

Meanwhile, another group of Interplanetary Control Force Evil Chasers were sent to SG-17 to ascertain what exactly had been discovered. If the Mutants intended for their own scientists to steal the information and possibly head toward the planet to gain control of it, Mandora wanted to know exactly what it was. Lion-O, Tygra, and Ben-Gali agreed to head back to New Thundera and make it look like they were staying focused on the wreck of the Calliope.

"It's good to have you back," Panthro smiled as he met the three in the hangar after they landed the Feliner.

"Good to be back. Any word from Mandora's squad on SG-17?" Lion-O asked.

"Nothing yet but I expect they'll be sending encrypted communications to one another. How are they chalking up the shipwreck?" The panther wanted to know as they headed inside.

"The official report will read that the pieces of the ship are being towed back to Interplanetary Control Force Headquarters for further examination. However, at this time, no survivors have been located and all hands are believed lost," the lion explained.

"Hard thing to handle for their families," the panther shook his head, knowing that the crew wasn't dead just yet but unless they could be saved there was no point in letting on to what actually happened and give the families false hope, and for the Mutants to move up their plans.

"Yes, and when I asked what would happen if the scientists were saved, Mandora said to let her bosses handle that," Lion-O shrugged.

"It's an ugly turn of events but it seems we don't have much of a choice in the matter," Tygra admitted.

"Still doesn't make it any easier," Ben-Gali said.

"Right on all accounts. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. I dislike having to sacrifice anyone but we can't have New Thundera or Third Earth attacked because we tried to protect citizens that were not our own. Jaga knows I will not sleep soundly until this is all over," Lion-O heaved a sigh. It was definitely weighing on him but their hands were tied, especially since they did not know if what SG-17 generated was actually a viable fuel source or if it could be used for something else.

"I know someone who will be glad to see you," Panthro spoke up.

"Well I think I know who you're talking about and I can't wait to see her," the lion smirked slightly for the attempt to change the subject.

"I know I have someone too. Where are they anyway?" Ben-Gali asked.

"In the control room. They're on duty. After all we couldn't quit working because you boys wanted to ride over to Third Earth," the panther winked.

"I thought the entire world stops for me. I'm the King," Lion-O feigned his righteous indignation.

"Well we do what we can but…" the panther never got to finish his sentence as a furry red ball of fluff, which seemed to be shot out of a cannon, hurled itself at the lion. Completely caught off guard, Lion-O stumbled backwards and thankfully Tygra caught him.

"What in the…" Ben-Gali started.

"Oh Lion-O you're safe!" Snarf snarfed.

"Of course I am," the lion looked dumbfounded, as if the routine flight to and from Third Earth was putting a strain on him that he didn't know about.

"What is going on out here?" Cheetara asked as she exited the Control Room.

"Somebody missed me," Lion-O pointed to the snarf on his chest.

"My turn!" She said as she managed to squeeze her arms around the lion's large muscular chest.

"It's a love fest over here," Leanna shook her head before being snatched by Panthro, who dipped her down and kissed her.

"Didn't want you to feel left out," he smirked.


	12. Chapter 12

What he expected to get was a smack across the face, instead Lea pulled him in closer so that his lips were only centimeters away from hers.

"Well that's very thoughtful of you," her voice was barely above a whisper before she pulled him in close and laid one on him.

"Paws off my sister!" Lion-O teased but they weren't listening.

"Come up for air you two before I get Tygra to give you what for," Ben-Gali chuckled as he said it.

"Why am I the butt of the old jokes lately?" The orange tiger demanded.

"Makes little sense to me since I'm the oldest one here," Lynx-O said from behind them. Pumyra had brought him down to the Control Room hoping for news from the cats that returned from Third Earth.

"There's my one and only," Ben-Gali beamed. He was excited to see her but she seemed off. Not as thrilled to see him as he was her.

"What's wrong?" He pulled her aside and asked.

"I just haven't been feeling well the last couple of days. It's probably just stress. I am glad to see you though. Happy you're safe," she pulled him into a hug.

"You want Tygra to take a look at you? I hate it when you don't feel good," Ben-Gali said.

"I just probably need a good night's sleep with a warm body to keep me company," Pumyra teased.

"Yes ma'am," the white tiger waggled his eyebrows.

"We've got an incoming call from Mandora's private line!" Punthar announced as he entered the hallway.

"Everybody inside!" Lion-O ordered. The group quickly made their way into the room and Punthar accepted the call.

"Hello all. This is not the message I'm sure you were all hoping for. We have no word from our group that was sent to SG-17 yet. I do however expect a report within the next twelve hours. The Alien Rights Workers have landed on Plundarr and her moons. Unless the Mutants are as stupid as they are ugly, we won't be able to get the scientists off the planet. I'm still not sure how we're going to do it but maybe we'll get lucky and the scientists will be smart enough to find a way to get our troops a message that will give them cause to get the Mutants panties in a bunch," Mandora explained.

"A ray of sunshine you are, you know that?" Lion-O chuckled.

"Well I do the best I can. Say, when did you start growing chest hair?" The Evil Chaser asked. When Snarf moved, she almost passed out.

"It's just a certain someone who's happy to see I'm back on New Thundera," he smirked as Snarf clambered down to the floor.

"All right then. Anyway, keep your ears open. If something goes sideways you may need to be ready sooner than the wedding," Mandora told them.

"We have two months and we need all the time we can get," Panthro said.

"Cross your fingers then. Mandora out," the Evil Chaser ended the call.

"Well I guess that's about all we can do. The factories are already working three shifts," the panther said.

"Help! I need help!" Li-en voice came over the Control Room's internal communication device.

"What happened?" Panthro asked.

"Cavan!" The name was out of his mouth and Cheetara was already out the door. The group quickly followed.

Cheetara arrived down in the hangar to find three mechanics and Li-en trying to keep the ThunderClaw up off of the puma. She whipped out her bo-staff and quickly extended it. Then she shoved it underneath the vehicle where the three strong Cats were trying to hold it up. The staff lifted the vehicle just enough so that Li-en could let go and grab Cavan by her wrists. He pulled her out and they then backed away before knocking the bo-staff out of the way. The ThunderClaw came down hard and everyone realized just how close they were to having her crushed to death.

"What happened?" Panthro asked as he knelt down his two favorite students.

"We were working on the ThunderClaw when one of the jacks let go. Cavan tried to get out but the creeper cart hit something and she came off of it," Li-en explained as Pumyra and Tygra dropped down to take a look at the unconscious puma.

"She has a nasty gash, probably from the creeper cart when she came off of it. Get the medical staff down here with a gurney. Looks like she might have hit her head," Tygra said, pointing out the bruise that was rapidly forming on her forehead.

"Great Jaga. How does a jack just let go like that?" Lion-O asked as Ben-Gali was examining the one that managed to escape the crushing. The standard was to have three on a vehicle like the ThunderClaw but something didn't seem right as one jack letting go should still have given the other two a chance to hold up their ends of the weight longer than it had.

"Sabotage," Ben-Gali said as he pointed to the jack which had snapped in half.


	13. Chapter 13

"Sabotage?" Lea asked as she'd overheard what the white tiger had said as she made her way to them. Panthro was helping Li-en keep it together as they followed Pumyra and Tygra down to the Med Bay, behind the gurney that Cavan was laying on. The two had been through so much and the group could not imagine what they did to deserve it.

"Oh yeah. This jack not only snapped in half but the bolts that were on the base sheared off. Only way that happens is if somebody filed things off and sawed things off," Ben-Gali pointed to tool marks that were visible when the pieces were held up close.

"Who would want to hurt Cavan? She's pregnant for cripes sake!" Lion-O was visibly upset and it was for good reason. As if it wasn't bad enough that they had Mutants breathing down their necks, now someone here tried to hurt one of their own.

"She might not have been the original target, sir," one of the mechanics, a liger by the name of Gol, spoke up.

"Oh?" Lion-O asked.

"I grabbed that jack off of the ThunderTank shelf myself sir. One of the ThunderClaw jacks were missing and I knew that the ThunderTank jacks would work fine so I grabbed one. This is my fault sir," Gol hung his head.

"This is not your fault. Whoever planned this didn't realize that there was a jack missing," Ben-Gali told him. He knew the liger and he knew that he did fantastic work. Never complained and never called in sick.

"And perhaps they were intending for Panthro to get hurt. Still I want all the security footage from the hangar sent to my office. I want ThunderGuard in the Med Bay to keep an eye on Cavan and I want them to follow Panthro around too. Send in the safety investigation team with extra ThunderGuard backup. I want every tool in the shop examined," Lion-O issued his orders.

"On it," Ben-Gali nodded.

"Lea, Cheetara, with me please," the lion said. As they headed for the exit, Lion-O stopped to reassure Gol and promise him that he had nothing to worry about. The liger thanked his King profusely and then ran off to help Ben-Gali.

"What are you thinking?" Lea asked once they were out into the hallway.

"That only a Mutant would want to sabotage equipment. Slow down our efforts to fight a war of their making. Which means one of the Cats in the hangar is taking money from the enemy," he said.

"Who would do that?" Cheetara wondered. Completely at a loss as to why anyone but a Mutant would think it was a good thing if the Mutants won.

"Let's hope the security tape will help," the lion said.

"The three of us don't need to look at the tape. Is there some way I can be doing something to help?" Lea offered as they entered Lion-O's office. He locked the door and turned to his half-sister.

"You can stay right here where you'll be safe. For all we know you could have been the target. How many times would you help Panthro fix something in the shop?" He hated to play protector as both Lea and Cheetara could more than handle themselves but he didn't want to take any chances.

"Quite often but are you saying that you don't think I can handle myself?" She asked.

"I know you can but I want to get married and I want you to be there. The three of us are going to get the opportunity to create a new family. I'm not going to let those Mutants stop us," he told her. Cheetara smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"You're adorable but I would shred anybody who got in my way," the cheetah smirked.

"I know. I'm just trying to be cautious. Anyway, let's get down to business," he smiled slightly and pulled the video up on his screen and then over to the projector. This was going to take a while considering they didn't know when to look.

Meanwhile in the Med Bay, Cavan woke up to find herself connected to all sorts of machines. Li-en was all smiles when he noticed she was awake.

"Wha' 'appened?" She asked; her speech impaired.

"Oh somebody has a concussion," Tygra announced.

"What about the baby?" The liger asked.

"I'm not seeing anything that would indicate trouble. Still I want to keep her overnight to make sure everything is all right," he admitted.

"I'll stay with her," Li-en said as he took Cavan's hand in his. She gave it a squeeze grateful that she was still amongst the living.

"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me," Tygra smiled and pulled Panthro out of the room so the two could have a few moments of privacy before the ThunderGuard assumed their watch.

"There is something you didn't tell them isn't there?" Panthro cocked an eyebrow at his friend.

"She's not yet showing so technically she could still be on duty but I want her off duty for the rest of the pregnancy. Given her age and the fact that this is her first, I want to be careful, especially after what just happened," the tiger explained.

"I'll see what I can do about it. You leave it to me," the panther winked.

"Good. Now you hold Pumyra down while I force her to tell me why it looks like she hasn't slept in a week and why she's only been picking at her meals," Tygra enlisted his friend's help.

"You got it," Panthro nodded.


	14. Chapter 14

"How many hours have we been doing this?" Lea asked.

"Too many. My eyes are about ready to fall out of my head," Cheetara replied.

"How many more hours do we have to go?" Lion-O wanted to know as he got up and went back behind his desk to check the timer, pausing the video playback as he did so. They had moved the couch out from the wall and projected the video onto it, using the couch for comfy seating in front of the wall.

"By the look on your face, it's going to be a long night," the cheetah commented on the lion as he shook his head.

"Time to freshen up the coffee and see if Snarf has anymore sandwiches to bring down," Lea said. She got up and picked up the wall phone, calling down to the kitchen.

"More food is on the way," the lioness smiled slightly.

"Good because for some reason I'm starving," Lion-O commented as he checked the coffee pot. Dumping the grounds into the trash can, he got a new filter, and a new coffee packet.

"Last one. Guess I had best restock," he sighed.

"Does that look odd to you?" Cheetara suddenly asked, not directing the question at anyone in particular.

"What look odd? What are we talking about?" Lea asked.

"Look at the video and look at the time stamp," the cheetah commented.

"Ok so the time stamp says five am and I'm looking at Cats coming in for their shift. What's odd about that?" Lion-O was confused.

"The shop doesn't run twenty-four hours like the Control Room. The shifts in the Control Room run seven am until three pm, three pm until eleven pm, and eleven pm to seven am. The two shift operation the in shop runs seven am to four pm and three pm to midnight. Why is there what appears to be a full shift in two hours before they're supposed to be?" The cheetah wanted to know.

"What's the date on the stamp? There were a couple of days last month where Panthro wanted everybody out of the shop by two o'clock so he could run some tests on the new generator system. The second shift didn't come in until five," Lea filled them in as she was being handed off the new sandwiches from Snarf.

"The date was three weeks ago," Cheetara told her.

"Ok that would not have fit into that time frame," the lioness shook her head. She then thanked Snarf for all his hard work and promised they wouldn't bug him anymore this evening.

"Let's go backwards a little," Lion-O messed with the controls. The day before seemed to be on time and the lion buzzed forward to discover that the day following the one that had been paused, was off too.

"The tape has been altered," he said.

"Who alters the tape but doesn't remove the footage of themselves committing a crime?" Lea asked.

"Someone who doesn't have access to the machine. All you have to do to change the time on the security cameras is change the time clock settings. Only a few people have access to that piece of equipment," Lion-O pointed out.

"Finally, it's getting interesting," Cheetara said. The phone rang and Lion-O answered it as the two ladies continued to watch who went near the jacks and who was near the time clock.

"Thank you, I'll pass the news along," Lion-O said before hanging up the phone.

"What are you passing along?" Lea asked.

"The Mutants panties are in a bunch and the report from the Evil Chasers on SG-17 is in. We need to call a meeting immediately," he told them.


	15. Chapter 15

"What's all the hubbub about?" Panthro asked as all the ThunderCats met in the conference room.

"Mandora made a quick call to the Control Room and sent over the report from SG-17. However, the reason for the quick call is that the scientists found a way to get the Mutants in trouble and we best be ready for what's coming," Lion-O explained.

"Great Jaga. What happened?" Tygra asked.

"Apparently one of the scientists got loose from their Mutant captors and found the nearest Evil Chaser. Needless to say, everything is being searched and as suspected weapons of the war variety have been found. She's heading over there to give us a full report but things could get ugly. You remember the last time the Space Council of Planets got on the Mutants' case?" The lion reminded them.

"You'll have to fill me in. What?" Lea asked.

"Long story short, the Mutants attempted to shoot down some incoming Evil Chasers, who were on a routine Alien Rights mission. The Evil Chasers fired back and managed to destroy a fuel depot. The following explosion killed a lot of Mutants and their cousins from the moons of Plundarr took offense. There was almost an intergalactic incident that could have led to an all-out war if not for the Council's quick action to send in the majority of the Evil Chaser Corp. Given the vast numbers of the Evil Chasers and the more advanced technology, everybody backed down. Later a full agreement was met between the Council and the Mutants but who knows if that will work this time," Lion-O quickly explained.

"It might work to our advantage however considering the Mutants are just as pissed at us as they are the Evil Chasers for what happened last year," Ben-Gali spoke up. He noted that Pumyra wasn't at the meeting and he was beginning to wonder why. After all, she needed to know this too.

"Yes but after what I just found out about SG-17 that might not matter. The planet turns out to have a very useable fuel source," Lion-O punched a few buttons on the center console and the report popped up on the screen.

"Highly flammable, toxic fumes, and is easily convertible into liquid fuel. Similar to an old fuel used by those who first travelled into space," Panthro read.

"Yes. It's a form of oil that can be converted into liquid via refinery much like Thundrillum. The problem is not that the Mutants would use it to work their vehicles but to add to bombs and create incendiary devices. The scientists taken to Plundarr would know how to convert the oil to liquid. Mandora says that according to the Evil Chasers on Plundarr, a ship, with an unknown port of origin, left the planet last night. It was only discovered because the cloaking mechanism failed as it left the planet's atmosphere. They had no way to intercept the ship because a few minutes later the scientist who had escaped reached the Evil Chasers' base. Then all heck broke loose," Lion-O told them.

"That seems too well planned doesn't it?" Lynx-O spoke up.

"My thoughts exactly," Lion-O admitted.

"So what is the next course of action?" Cheetara wanted to know.

"Given our current sabotage problem, I have decided that the investigation should continue. We've managed to narrow the field of suspects so I believe that Panthro and Lea can handle that from this end. As far as the ship that left Plundarr, I can give you three guesses, where it's heading," the lion said.

"SG-17," WilyKit and WilyKat said at the same time.

"Exactly. Now I think we need to leave the Feliner here in case Panthro and Lea need it but we should take some of the warships and head toward SG-17 to help the Evil Chasers," Lion-O told them.

"Sounds like a fantastic idea but I can't make the trip. You will need to take a different medical officer with you," Tygra said.

"Can't Pumyra take care of the patients here?" Cheetara asked, not sure she liked where this was heading.

"She is in my care until further notice. I believe that she may have the Thunderian flu. Her blood test results should be back by tomorrow afternoon. In the meantime, I want everyone in this room to take a shot of anti-viral to protect themselves and others," the tiger explained.

"I thought the Thunderian flu was wiped out before Thundera exploded," Lynx-O said.

"It seems that when the planet reformed not everything that was dead, stayed dead. There have been small numbers of Cats catching it over the last few years but the anti-virals and vaccines have largely prevented it but it's nothing to worry about. We have the cure. Unfortunately right now she's highly contagious," Tygra clarified.

"Well send her our well wishes. Let's take the anti-viral and get a move on," Lion-O ordered.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "klick" is a military term which references kilometers. I used the military spelling of it, just so you know.

The ThunderCats, backed by at least fifty ThunderGuard troops, were a little more than half way to SG-17 when a distress call went out over the airwaves on the emergency channel.

"This is Doctor MacComb of the Science Academy of the Galaxy. We have Mutants inbound and no way to protect ourselves. They're going to be on our doorstep any minute. Anyone within listening range, please help!"

"Doctor, this is Lion-O, Lord of the ThunderCats. We are on our way but we are approximately an hour and a half from you. We are coming at full speed. Do whatever you have to, to protect yourselves. Do not attempt to engage the Mutants. We'll deal with them," the lion said.

"Thank the stars you're on your way!" The transmission was then interrupted by someone shouting in the background,

"The Mutant ship landed half a klick from here! We've got fifteen minutes tops before we can't get out!"

"Doctor run!" Lion-O ordered over the radio. The transmission from the scientists died without another word.

"We've lost them my King and I'm giving her all she's got but we're not getting there any faster," Punthar explained.

"Just do what you have to, to get us there as quickly as possible," the lion nodded before picking up the radio handheld receiver and making a private call to the ship flying next to him.

"How fast can we push these ships?" He asked Ben-Gali after the tiger was brought to the phone.

"Best we can hope for is shaving our time down to an hour. We push any harder and not only will the landing on SG-17 be incredibly bumpy but we'll not have enough fuel to make the trip home," Ben explained.

"Making it back home won't matter if the Mutants have taken the planet and killed any of the scientists," Lion-O pointed out.

"No it won't but we can't afford to have someone from New Thundera bring fuel to us either. It would slow our response time getting off the planet which might not be a good thing considering the deteriorating conditions on Plundarr," the tiger said. Lion-O heaved a sigh. Ben-Gali was right.

"All right. Push your ship as hard as you can. With any luck Doctor MacComb and his crew know where to hide," the lion said.

"With any luck, they do. Over and out," Ben-Gali ended the call and Lion-O quickly returned to the bridge. He ordered the engines to be brought to the speed required and prayed to Jaga that the scientists would be out of harm's way for just a little longer.

Meanwhile on New Thundera, Panthro stormed into the hangar which made all the mechanics scatter. He'd just seen who had messed with the time clock on the video and his blood was boiling over. Lea tried to calm him down but she was just as angry. Cavan and her unborn cub could have been killed and that did not sit well with anyone.

"Where is he?" He shouted as the panther arrived at the workstation of the Cat who had done it.

"Who sir?" One of the mechanics was brave enough to ask.

"That sniveling coward of a manager Che?" Panthro wanted to know.

"He called off. Sounded dreadful on the phone like he was dying or something," Gol spoke up.

"Oh he will be dead when I get through with him. ThunderGuard, on my six. We have a traitor to find," the panther ordered. Quickly, five of the ThunderGuard soldiers moved behind him and loaded into the back of the ThunderTank. Lea hopped in the front seat with the panther and they tore off out of the hangar and into the city.


	17. Chapter 17

The Thunderian ships landed in a clearing in the woods that bordered the space camp set up by the scientists. They exited the ships and quickly established a plan of attack. Breaking up into two groups, they descended on the camp to find Mutant footprints but no sign of a struggle. They quickly searched the temporary buildings for any sign of anyone but found none.

"Well that's odd," Cheetara commented when the groups met back up.

"They couldn't actually mine for the oil here so there must be a dig site not far away. The woods would have offered shade, food, and rain collection opportunities so it would have been an ideal place for living quarters. We should scout ahead and see if can find the dig site," Ben-Gali explained.

"Yes we definitely should. The Evil Chasers would have tried to find a place for cover. The job site however might not have allowed for that," Lion-O said.

"I worry that the Evil Chasers would be collateral damage when the Mutants find the scientists," Lynx-O pointed out.

"Agreed. Let's move out," Lion-O ordered. The groups combined into one and moved through the woods until they reached its end. There in front of them was a vast desert that offered no cover except for a few outcroppings in the distance.

"I don't like it," Ben-Gali spoke up before explaining the scene before them to Lynx-O.

"Neither do I," Lion-O shook his head.

"I'm the fastest thing we've got. Let me run to the nearest outcropping and see what I can see," Cheetara offered.

"I can't let you do that. What if there's a trap?" Lion-O asked.

"Well we didn't find any vehicles at the base camp so my guess is that they radioed from the dig site. There has to be something out there for me to find. They wouldn't make a base camp that would take three days to get to," the cheetah pointed out.

"We don't have many options. The cloud of dust she will kick up should provide her some sort of cover until she gets to the outcropping," Lynx-O offered.

"Then take some water and get to the rocks as quickly as you can. Signal us if it's safe to cross. Be careful," the lion told her as he handed her a canteen. He wished he could say more but in front of the troops he could not be so affectionate.

"When am I not careful?" She smirked and was off. They all watched as she reached the first rocks which were about a mile away. The cloud of dust disappeared and everyone held their breath, waiting to see if she signaled them via the binoculars that Lion-O had glued to his eyes.

Meanwhile, Panthro used his right foot to break down the door of the home that belonged to Che, the traitorous shift manager. The ThunderGuard announced their presence and quickly searched the home.

"Sir! In here!" Came a shout from one of the soldiers. Panthro followed the sound of the soldier's call and entered the room.

"What have you got?" The panther wanted to know.

"He's dead. Been that way for at least a few hours. Cold to the touch," the pumiger, who went by the name Nanoo, shook his head. There were no outward signs of why he had died and the panther was thinking poison.

"Sir, he has a family but they don't seem to be home," Sergeant Xalo, a liger, spoke up.

"All right. Get the crime scene guys here and get his body back to the Lair. I want everything gone over with a fine tooth comb. We need to know why he did what he did and who his original target was. This is either linked to the Mutants or he had it out for someone," Panthro ordered.

"Yes, sir," Sergeant Xalo nodded.


	18. Chapter 18

Back on SG-17, Cheetara carefully scrambled up the face of the outcropping and scoped out the area. The Mutants had definitely come this way as she could see their trail of footprints and some sort of wheeled vehicle. Carefully she picked her way up until she heard voices in the distance. Crouching down behind a peak that jutted upwards, she spotted two reptiles below.

"Where do you suppose they hid?" One asked his partner.

"Out here? Unless they buried themselves in sand, they had better cover in the woods," the second one shook his head.

"Point but don't you think we'd have tripped over them by now?" The first one wondered.

"I guess. Either way it was a mistake to follow them out here. If we get stuck out here after dark it will be freezing and they won't survive any longer than we do," the second one replied. Cheetara turned her focus away from them and quickly skittered her way back down off the outcropping. Looking around and not seeing anyone nearby, she extended her bo-staff. Coming out from her hiding spot she easily knocked their heads together and they fell to the sandy desert floor. Rushing to a spot where she could signal the rest, she quickly urged them on, using the metal canteen to flash light in their direction.

"That's the signal. All right, half of you stay here with Ben-Gali. The rest come with me. The scientists could be hiding in the forest so keep your eyes and ears open," Lion-O ordered. Ben-Gali took command as he watched them scoot across the sands toward the relative safety of the outcropping.

When they reached Cheetara, she led them to the two Mutants and Lion-O quickly had them tied up. He sent two scouts on ahead to follow the winding path through the rock formations to see if they could find anything else.

"They don't have the scientists yet according to what I overheard. My guess is that we aren't far from the dig site," the cheetah explained. Lion-O was about to comment when the two scouts came running back toward their group. They hadn't been gone long enough for any kind of journey and the lion gave them a look.

"The Mutants are on the other side of the bend. They appear to be searching for the scientists still," Corporal Ashi explained.

"How many?" Lion-O asked.

"About thirty and they're armed to the teeth," Corporal Lino said.

"Should we engage sir?" Ashi wanted to know. The troops were eager to do so and Lion-O knew that if there happened to be more than thirty they would be giving away their position. However the Mutants would eventually come back this way, forcing them to deal with them anyway.

"I need my five best shots," Lion-O instructed. Four men and one woman approached him and he then continued to give instructions.

"Find sniper positions and do what you can. I'll be bringing the troops up behind you so be mindful of that. We need as many as we can alive so we can pump them for information but do what you must in defense of your fellow soldiers. Good luck and happy hunting," the lion said. The five quickly saluted and then headed off down the path and up the sides of the rock formations.

"Ready?" Lion-O asked the rest of the group. They were slightly outnumbered but they would make do. Quickly they headed down the sand pathway and took aim at the enemy. One of the snipers picked off on of the Monkians near the front of the group, they turned and were face to face with the Thunderians.

"For Thundera!" Lion-O shouted. The group charged at the Mutants who were completely caught off guard.


	19. Chapter 19

Panthro paced back and forth in his office back at Cat's Lair. He had sent ThunderGuard soldiers to find the family of the now deceased Che and was hoping that they could shed some light on the situation. The search of their house was still being conducted and the medical examiner was looking over the body.

Suddenly alarms went off all over the Lair. The doors closed on every room in an attempt to contain whatever and whoever was about.

"What's going on?" Lea asked Panthro through his office door. The door had slammed shut leaving him in there all alone. She had rushed over to him because she'd never heard that particular alarm before.

"That's the Biohazard alarm. Doctor Pungali must have found something on Che's body," he explained.

"You were exposed to the body. How many others were? What are their names? We need to wrangle everyone up before they spread it all over," Lea said, grabbing a clipboard and a pen. Panthro quickly recounted the names of the people who had been inside Che's house and told her that thankfully he hadn't sent anyone from the scene to find Che's family. She quickly wrote everyone down and then as soon as the alarm was silenced, leaving the doors still sealed, she called down to Doctor Pungali and to the Control Room hoping to get the message out to everyone. A Biohazard team was dispatched to the house and another to the locations where the ThunderGuard was supposed to be picking up the family.

"What did Doctor Pungali say?" Panthro asked when Lea finally got off the phone.

"He's still trying to identify what exactly it is but he found on the body a suspicious pouch of some sort of powder. He's not taking any chances in case it's what killed Che," she paused, unsure of how to say the next part.

"There's more isn't there?" He gave her a look.

"He found the powder inside Che's nostrils and when he cut open his chest that's when he hit the alarm," the lioness continued.

"What did he find?" Panthro could tell she wasn't sure how to say what needed to be said and despite being one of the strongest Cats he knew, she was on the verge of tears.

"His lungs were full of black spots and fluid, and his bronchi had a tar like substance in them. Doctor Pungali thinks it's the Avian Plague," Lea finally managed.

"Avian Plague? Wasn't that wiped out years ago?" Panthro was confused. The disease was not something that originated on either Thundera or Third Earth. It started on a planet that was eventually abandoned after the majority of the sentient beings had been killed. The cure took years to discover and by then it had managed to make its way throughout the galaxy. However, once the cure had been found by the Science Academy of the Galaxy scientists, a vaccine had been made and quickly distributed. Eventually it joined the ranks of polio, mumps, and rubella, as a disease that was considered wiped out.

"His guess is that somehow someone put it in the powder that Che had in his pocket," Lea explained. Panthro thought for a moment. It sounded crazy but if one had access to the virus which was currently frozen for research purposes only, one could liquefy it and spray it onto anything. The Avian Plague attacked the lungs and once inhaled, the effects would only take a day before the patient would find it hard to breathe. Between the fever it caused and the fluid buildup in the lungs due to the gumming up of the bronchi, the patient would basically drown in his or her own body. It was incredibly virulent and was spread through fluid exchange which often meant coughing, sneezing, and any sort of intimate contact.

"Can he have the hospital whip up something to counteract it?" The panther asked.

"He's contacted them but they have to confirm that's what it is first. He's worried that anyone who came in contact with him could be spreading it around, including his children. Regular antibiotics don't work on it; all they manage to do is mask the symptoms. We could be looking at an epidemic," Lea told him.

"Great Jaga's ghost," Panthro said, realizing that he had contact with Che only days before and as Gol had pointed out earlier, it had sounded like Che was dying when he called on the phone.


	20. Chapter 20

"Tell me what I want to know and I send you and the rest of the bunch home to Plundarr. Don't tell me and I'll be forced to do something I'd really rather not," Lion-O said to the captured leader of the Mutants, a lizard by the name of Brutus. The Thunderians had easily conquered the surprised Mutants and those that were not dead after the battle were now being interrogated along with being tied up. Ben-Gali had sent his group over to assist when they heard the shouting and weapons discharging, afraid that the group had been attacked.

"Why would I tell you anything Cat?" Brutus asked.

"Because you like the fact that you can still breathe air. Now, who sent you and what does the Mutant High Command want with these scientists?" The lion had to play dumb as if the Evil Chasers hadn't told them about the impending attempt at war. Lion-O figured that this botched attempt to escape the Evil Chasers had pretty much put the kibosh on any war plans considering that Plundarr was now dealing with the Interplanetary Control Force and some very unhappy peoples of the galaxy.

"It's too late Cat. You'll never know," the lizard smirked and bit down on something inside his mouth. Suddenly he began foaming at the mouth and seizing. Lion-O heaved a sigh and watched as the lizard slumped over.

"Check their mouths! Don't let them bite down! We need them alive!" He ordered. Quickly the troops got to work knocking their captives unconscious so their mouths could be inspected.

"We need to get looking for the Evil Chasers and the scientists. Once the sun disappears beyond the horizon, this desert is going to become bitterly cold," Ben-Gali spoke up as he approached the lion.

"Agreed. Load the prisoners into their own vehicle. Get Cheetara over here and we'll move on," Lion-O said. The tiger nodded and quickly found the cheetah before making sure the live captives were rounded up.

"You think you can scout ahead and see if you find anything? I think we managed to collect all the Mutants so it should be safe to use the radios again," the lion said.

"I will press ahead. I would imagine that the outcroppings would have offered the only shot at protection so they have to be around here somewhere," she nodded.

"Be careful," Lion-O smiled.

"Of course," she gave a wink and then she took off.

"Lion-O!" The familiar voice of Lynx-O drifted the lion's way and he quickly turned and found the older Cat, who had been just standing and feeling and listening. His heightened senses had been a gift despite the fact that he had to lose one to get them.

"What is it old friend?" Lion-O asked.

"Feel this," the lynx grabbed the younger Cat's hand and slapped it against the nearest rock. It vibrated.

"How in the…" he didn't get to finish the thought as the rock moved under his hand. The sand beneath the large object shifted and quickly the lion yelled for everyone to get back. Then the rock shifted and twisted as what appeared to be legs emerged from the sand.

"Rock monster…" Lion-O murmured. He watched as the rock separated itself from the other rocks and arms along with a head emerged. They reminded him of the Rockmen of Third Earth.

"Do not fire your weapons! Stand still!" The lion urged the troops. They did as they were told and surprisingly the rock creature smiled. Lion-O worried that they had just fallen into some sort of trap on a planet where they did not know the inhabitants. Then he heard a familiar voice.

"Do not be afraid! He is only trying to protect us," a man emerged from behind the rock creature. A cave had been hidden by his body and Lion-O breathed a sigh of relief.

"Doctor MacComb of the Science Academy of the Galaxy?" He asked.

"I am and you must be Lion-O," the Doctor smiled. He was short statured with a round belly and wore glasses that covered his blue eyes. His gray hair was mostly gone except for some that spanned the right side and made its way around to the left in a small band. The people behind him continued to emerge from their hiding spot and the ThunderGuard quickly stepped into help them.

"I am. We must get you and your team back to the safety of the woods. The sun is against us but luckily not the enemy. Who is your friend?" Lion-O wanted to know.

"He is Drangur and without him or you and your troops, we'd be in serious trouble. Thank you for coming to our aid," MacComb smiled and extended a hand which Lion-O shook.

"Well he must come along with us as we reach the safety of the woods. We'll need help in transporting everyone. How is your team?" The lion wanted to know.

"All accounted for with minor cuts and bruises. Evil Chase First Class Yero, sir," the Evil Chaser extended his hand to Lion-O.

"Excellent. Let's get a move on. I will just radio my scout who probably…" he didn't get to finish as a gust of wind arrived with Cheetara out front.

"Guess I didn't have to go on my fishing expedition after all," she smiled and quickly introduced herself. After the introductions, the Yero and his men promised to pilot the Mutant vehicle back to the Mutant ship and call for reinforcements to get them back to Plundarr while the ThunderCats would escort the scientists to New Thundera. Drangur scooped up the vehicle that the scientists had ridden in out to the dig site from its hiding place near the top of one of the outcroppings and placed it down on the ground for them to climb back into. He then scooped up as many ThunderGuard as he could and headed across the sands.

Once the group arrived back at the scientists' camp in the woods, they began packing up the base camp. Unfortunately they had had the Evil Chasers blast the equipment at the dig site to avoid having it fall into Mutant hands so there wasn't much to clean up there and it would be left behind. Doctor MacComb turned to his friend Drangur and spoke to him in a language that no one understood. The rock creature made a gesture and responded before heading back out into the desert.

"Where's he going?" Cheetara asked the scientist.

"Back to where he belongs. He helped us and I have let him know we are leaving. I hope that we can come back someday," MacComb sighed.

"We won't be leaving just yet," Lion-O walked over to them, shaking his head.

"Why not?" Cheetara was confused.

"They caught the Cat that attempted to harm Cavan. He died from Avian Plague. Lea is telling us to stay away until they know they have it contained," he explained.

"There's something else isn't there?" She could tell when he wasn't giving her the whole story.

"It seems that the reason Pumyra wasn't feeling well wasn't due to the Thunderian flu. She may have been patient zero. What's worse is that she's with cub and I have to tell Ben-Gali he may lose both of them," Lion-O heaved a sigh.


	21. Chapter 21

"Lord Lion-O perhaps we can help in this situation. Our medical man has knowledge of the Avian Plague. He could help your scientists confirm exactly what it is and help get the cure into production," Doctor MacComb said.

"I can appreciate your offer Doctor but my sister fears that New Thundera and her allies cannot afford me falling ill. Not only do I lead the ThunderGuard and the ThunderCats but I am King to my people. If I were to be out of commission while the Mutants intend to do us and those who support us harm, it would not be good," Lion-O admitted.

"You left your people to come rescue us? Most leaders would have sent troops to do so," the Doctor was surprised.

"It is tradition that the King and Lord of the ThunderCats go into battle for his people. One cannot lead if one has never faced battle and is not willing to die for those he protects," the lion smiled slightly.

"Very brave. Then let us be brave with you and return to New Thundera. We can help," MacComb said.

"Let me get Lea on the horn first. It is a four hour journey to our home from here and we need to make sure that things are secure by the time we get there," Lion-O told him.

"Let me speak to your chief medical officer. He or she will be in control of the situation, correct?" The Doctor asked.

"I'm sure Tygra has his hands full. Panthro is possibly one of the Cats infected and with Pumyra already in trouble; he's running a little low on help," the lion explained.

"What does Pumyra do?" MacComb asked.

"She's second in command of the medical staff. Doctor Pungali is our chief medical examiner. He's the one who called the alarm and Pumyra's blood samples were run through his lab. Lea said they had confirmed that the dead Cat, Che, was killed by Avian Plague as well. Che seems to be responsible for the attempted murder of one of Panthro's crew, Cavan, although we are unsure if she was in the intended target or Panthro was. They have successfully rounded up Che's family and they are confused and hurt by his actions. Che's work desk and home were searched for evidence as to why he would do such a thing and how he contracted the Avian Plague. As you are aware, Doctor, a disease like that is locked up securely. My guess is that someone wanted to use a possible outbreak of the disease to distract us from the Mutants' attempt to bring war to our planet," Lion-O explained as he and Cheetara showed the good Doctor to the ship in which the lion had placed his earlier phone call.

"Find Ben for me please. I need to tell him before we make any move off this planet," Lion-O said.

"You got it," she gave him a tight smile and a quick peck on the cheek. She knew that delivering news like this would crush Lion-O. He hated to give people bad news especially when it involved their tight little family of ThunderCats.

"The future Mrs. Lion-O?" MacComb asked after the cheetah had left.

"If there is a planet left to defend, then yes," the lion smiled slightly.

"You are very lucky. She is very beautiful," the Doctor smiled back.

"Thanks," Lion-O beamed as he punched up Cats Lair. He indeed felt lucky which is why telling Ben-Gali about Pumyra would hurt all the more.

"My King!" Punthar responded when he saw the lion's picture appear on the screen.

"At ease, Punthar. I need my sister. Is she around? Doctor MacComb believes he can help us," the King explained.

"I'll get her, sir. If I may speak freely sir?" The puma asked as he punched buttons to page the lioness.

"Yes of course," the lion nodded.

"Lady Lea is more frazzled than she's letting on. I don't doubt her abilities but this may be too much for her to handle as she tries to recover from her own demons. I mean no offense; I just care for her, sir. I know that she and Lord Panthro are close and I would hate for something bad to happen to either one of them," Punthar said.

"I appreciate your concern. Thank you for your honesty," Lion-O smiled and he heard the Control Room door open behind him.

"Here she is sir," Punthar then vacated the area and let her talk.

"Is everything all right?" Lea asked.

"The good Doctor MacComb has offered his teams' services in order to help us. He would like for us to travel back to New Thundera and get things under control. How are things?" Lion-O wanted to know.

"Tygra has initiated Biohazard Level Four alert. All of New Thundera is shutting down and everyone is returning to their homes to await instruction via the media outlet. Che's family is not showing any signs of being sick and his wife says that he thought he had the flu. We could be looking at someone whose intentions were never to get anyone hurt by that broken lift. Perhaps the point was to get everyone sick inside the hangar and then let them infect the rest of the planet," she admitted.

"This is Doctor MacComb, dear Lady. Has the mass production of the cure begun?" He asked.

"Yes. We're trying to make as much as we can but we still have no idea how many are infected. We're sending teams to places where Che's family has been and ordering anyone with the symptoms to turn themselves in for a full checkup at the Lair. I'm not sure what else we can do," the lioness heaved a sigh.

"Well it sounds like you've got a pretty good handle on things. Still I think it wouldn't hurt us to arrive on New Thundera. My team could help assess patients and help with anything else that is needed. This disease is thankfully not spread by air. I think it would be helpful to get a look at your lab as well. Someone with access removed a sample and knew how to use it," MacComb said.

"If you think it's safe, then by all means, Doctor. Lion-O can't afford to pick up this terrible disease. We still don't know who to trust and who is the one who gave Che the illness," Lea told him.

"We can keep him safe and we'll get this licked in no time. You'll see," he gave her a wink. The lioness smiled and Lion-O relayed to her the time they believed they would be coming in while she gave him an update on Pumyra. She had been given the cure and seemed to be responding but it was too early to tell. The call ended and the lion excused himself to speak with Ben-Gali.


	22. Chapter 22

The ships arrived on New Thundera just as they received word from the Evil Chasers stationed on SG-17 that their reinforcements had arrived and they would be escorting the captured Mutants back to Plundarr. They promised a full update as soon as Mandora could get them something. Lion-O thanked them and then had everyone disembark from the ships.

Lea met them with a team of emergency personnel and everyone was immediately checked over and then given the vaccine. The lioness then gave the group the breakdown while Ben-Gali headed off to the med bay to see how Pumyra was doing. Thousands of thoughts raced through the white tiger's head as he tried to figure out how the puma had gotten sick and how he'd managed to avoid it. They had kissed after she said she hadn't been feeling well and yet he felt fine. Tygra had often said that he'd been a carrier especially after that last bout of stomach flu wracked the Lair and he had been the only one who hadn't had it coming out of both ends.

"Ben! I'm glad you're here," Tygra smiled at his brother tiger as he entered the med bay.

"How is she?" Ben asked.

"I knew that would be your first question. This way," Tygra gestured down the hallway and they quickly moved to the isolation unit. There outside the room where the puma lie on the bed, they talked about the situation.

"You can't go in but as you can see we're keeping her full of fluids and medicine," the orange tiger explained.

"What about the baby?" Ben asked.

"There is no way to tell if the baby will be damaged or not. She's very early on so we're hoping that the medicine will be enough to allow the baby to grow normally. You have to be aware though that the medicine could cause hearing loss, problems with the teeth, asthma, learning disabilities, autoimmune disorders, and damage to organs including the skin," Tygra said.

"Great Jaga's ghost," Ben gave him a look.

"If there had been another way to treat her, I would have. The problem is that there isn't another way to treat it. As much as I know that you'll make a great dad, I had to save Pumyra first. The baby is not viable outside of her body yet," the orange tiger explained.

"I understand and I wouldn't have it any other way. It will hurt if our child has issues but I can't risk losing her. Thank you for everything. How long does it take for this stuff to work?" He wanted to know.

"Well it seems that she was treating herself with some flu medicine before she got really sick which is why her symptoms didn't manifest as quickly as they usually do. It's hard to say how bad it really is but if she's not better by the end of tomorrow we'll need to do a body scan and see what is going on," Tygra told him.

"Che was taking flu medicine but he's dead," Ben pointed out.

"Yes well he didn't have access to the medicine that Pumyra did. She thought she was coming down with Thunderian flu not the common influenza. She took some strong medicine. That too could affect the baby but she didn't know she was pregnant and I still haven't told her. I don't want her worrying about something she can't fix now. She needs to put all she has into getting better," the medical Cat said. Ben-Gali nodded. She was in a fight for her life and he hoped that they caught whoever did this so he could string them up himself.

"Panthro has been cleared and he needs you down in the hangar. Can you get down there?" Tygra snapped him from his thoughts.

"On my way," he nodded.


	23. Chapter 23

Down in the hangar, Panthro was showing Doctor MacComb and his team the surveillance footage from the lab. Whoever they were dealing with knew what they were doing as the security tapes this time were magically shut off for a period over the evening hours so the actual identity of the Cat who had stolen the virus to release into the population remained a mystery. However, the scientists could tell from the footage that the proper procedure was being utilized otherwise.

"I must say the lab is run ship shape. I couldn't see any violations from the video but of course we'd like to see it in person if you don't mind," MacComb explained.

"Of course. Lion-O said that you'd want to but I wondered if you'd seen anything like this before like when the outbreak on the penal planet occurred some years back," Panthro asked, knowing that the organization of the Lab Safety Collection at the Science Academy of the Galaxy had discovered a problem at a lab where a prisoner had been injected with something that wasn't the typical vaccines that prisoners get.

"I didn't help out with that one but I know someone who did. Would you mind if we sent this back to the Academy for them to study?" MacComb wondered.

"No, not at all," Panthro nodded. He then ejected the disk and handed it to the Doctor who handed it off to one of his team who could connect to the Academy via his computer. They conferred for a few moments before the deed was done.

"Now, since Lea has been handling everything until I was cleared to help, she had better take you to the lab," the panther explained.

"Excellent. Thank you," MacComb smiled and Panthro led the group to a transport ship where Lea was waiting for them. He then turned around and headed back inside to find Ben-Gali waiting for him.

"You needed me?" The white tiger asked.

"I do. We have fingerprints that we're running from the lab and from Che's place. If any of them cross reference then we might have something. Now our guy who shut off the video cameras probably was smart enough to wear gloves but we found some things at Che's that seem to be coded messages. I know how you are with that kind of stuff and I was hoping that your brain could make sense of things," Panthro said.

"I could certainly give it a shot. What exactly are we looking at?" Ben-Gali gave him a look.

"Well that's just it. It seems to be a jumble of Old Thunderian and Thunderian. Lynx-O is waiting in my office he might be able to help with the Old Thunderian," the panther explained.

"Che knew Old Thunderian?" Ben was surprised.

"I'm guessing not but if he had a key he wouldn't need it," Panthro shrugged.

"Yes but the whole point behind a cipher is to keep the key in your head or somewhere where no one would find it. You find a key anywhere at Che's house?" Ben wanted to know.

"Not yet but some things are being incinerated due to the nature of what he was touching so…" the panther just gave him an apologetic look.

"I best get to work then," Ben nodded and headed into Panthro's office where Lynx-O was waiting.

"Shall we get started?" The lynx asked.

"Yes we better," Ben-Gali told him. Using the large electronic board that Panthro had had wheeled into the office, Ben began to lay out the words on the screen while reading the words out loud to Lynx-O.

"Best order some coffee," Lynx-O said to Panthro. The panther agreed and headed down to the kitchen.


	24. Chapter 24

Down in the Control Room, Lion-O was speaking to Mandora who had just been patched through on the video screen. She had spoken to the crew that was bringing the Mutants back to Plundarr and decided that she'd best give the ThunderCats an update.

"So what exactly is the status of things on Plundarr?" Lion-O wanted to know.

"Basically under control. The Space Council of Planets has made the Mutant High Command agree to have them overlook all the weapons in their inventory by promising to not sanction them any more than they already are but that's where the leniency ends. All of those who were conspiring to attack New Thundera and her allies have been arrested. Those who kidnapped the scientists have also been arrested and those that are coming back from SG-17 will be arrested upon arrival. All will be moved to the Penal Planet for trial. Some of the Mutants we bagged are high ranking officials that could be facing the rest of their lives in prison. When it's all over the Mutants will probably need to form a new High Command," the Evil Chaser explained.

"Check all of them for suicide capsules. I had a Mutant bite down on something in his mouth and he died while I was interrogating him," Lion-O warned.

"Oh done and done believe me," Mandora nodded.

"Good. We have a bit of a situation here and I think that the Mutants might be behind it," the lion said.

"What kind of situation?" Mandora raised an eyebrow.

"One of our high security science labs was broken into. The Cat, by the name of Che, who attempted to kill someone down in the hangar was found dead of Avian Plague. He managed to pass it onto Pumyra and we're running containment as best we can down here with the help of the scientists we rescued from SG-17. We believe that the only way the Plague was being spread was because Che, who managed to contract it, didn't know what he had. Our search of his home proves however that he must be in league with the Cat who stole the Avian Plague from the lab," he explained.

"Avian Plague? Holy hell. What do you need on my end?" She asked.

"Can you send out a warning that anyone travelling to New Thundera should reroute to Third Earth and let the Interplanetary Disease Control know what's going on? They might have something to help us make sure we're completely disease free. Lea was so busy trying to handle things on this end that she didn't know the procedure for alerting the rest of the galaxy. Not something we trained her for I'm afraid," Lion-O admitted.

"One would think that you would not have to considering how this hardly ever happens anymore. I'll get on the horn to them but they are going to want something that could possibly tie the Mutants to this in case it's being spread over here," Mandora told him.

"I believe that the Plague was an attempt to weaken us before the battle was to begin. With a war going on, those who could not fight would perish and they would take their brothers and sisters with them. We found a sort of code that we assumed Che and his partner were using and we're attempting to translate it. We have since discovered that Che and someone playing mechanic were at the lab, which was broken into, three days before the heist, supposedly to fix one of the lab's transport vehicles, we believe that the code is between them and their patron. Find the Mutant with the code or if the Mutants had protective suits they intended to wear and we could be onto something," Lion-O said.

"We may have already found it. I'll get back to you on that. Still hunting down Che's partner in crime?" She wanted to know. She didn't elaborate on what she meant but she didn't have time as sirens went off in the Lair.

"What the hell was…" the Evil Chaser started but she then heard someone in the background shouting,

"Code Blue in the Med Bay! All available personnel on the double!" Mandora then saw Lion-O pull the Sword of Omens from the Claw Shield as it growled at him. Pumyra was the name that popped into her head.


	25. Chapter 25

"Charge to three hundred!" Tygra ordered the nurse who was standing on the opposite end of the defibrillator. The entire crew that was working to save the puma's life wore hazmat suits.

"Three hundred!" She announced when the charge was met.

"Clear!" Tygra shoved the paddles onto Pumyra's chest and her body convulsed upward. They all looked at the heart monitor but the line did not move.

"Charge to three-fifty!" Tygra ordered again.

"Three-fifty!" The nurse answered.

"Clear!" Tygra once again shoved the paddles down. This time her body convulsed and the heart monitor finally registered.

"Steady beats Lord Tygra. Her blood pressure and breathing rate are all over the place though," the nurse said.

"I want her lungs checked. She may have more fluid and mucous build up than we thought," Tygra instructed.

"Yes, sir," the nurse nodded before Tygra exited the containment room and into the containment shower. The hazmat suit was chemically scrubbed before he exited the shower and into the changing room where he peeled off the apparatus.

"How is she?" Ben-Gali asked as his brother tiger exited the changing room.

"It's hard to say at this moment. We got her heart started but I don't like the sound of her breathing and her blood pressure. We need to get everything stabilized before I can run more thorough tests," Tygra explained. Ben-Gali swallowed hard. Lion-O clapped a hand on his shoulder and said,

"You stay with her. We can find Che's accomplice with what we have."

"I need to help," Ben-Gali started to object.

"All you need to do right now is take care of yourself and Pumyra. That's an order," the lion said. Ben-Gali nodded. Lion-O gave him a slight smile and then turned to head down to the hangar where Lynx-O was waiting. The lynx would have rushed to the scene when the alarms went off like Ben-Gali had except he knew that he could be of no help. Without his sight, trying to help in medical problems was practically impossible.

Cheetara met Lion-O in the hallway as he exited the Med Bay. She had rushed to the scene as well but was kept outside the medical area to tell others that they had enough help. Only Lion-O had been able to pass through the doors as Ben-Gali had already beaten him down there.

"How is she?" The cheetah asked.

"I worry that she is not getting better. Tygra made it sound like the reason her heart stopped was because there was more fluid and mucous in her lungs than he would like. I've ordered Ben-Gali to stay with her," the lion explained.

"Great Jaga," Cheetara breathed. Lion-O grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I know we deal with death on a regular basis and that we've had some very close calls but we need to nail down the procedure of how things should be handled should one of us not make it. I want you taken care of," he said.

"And I appreciate it but we need nothing but good thoughts for Pumyra," the cheetah told him.

"Agreed. Now we need to get to Lynx-O and see if he has anything more on our two traitors," the lion started walking down toward the hangar.

"Panthro called in from the hangar a few moments ago. The scientists and Lea are back from the lab. Our traitor was very good at what he did. No fingerprints or any hairs or fibers lying around. Panthro is running background checks on all the scientists and financial ones too," she informed him as they walked together.

"We better catch this bastard and quick. I'm in no mood for mercy," Lion-O clenched his fists.


	26. Chapter 26

"Is everything ok up there?" Panthro asked as Lion-O and Cheetara walked into the panther's office. Lea was there and so was Lynx-O. The lioness was trying to help the lynx out as best she could deciphering the rest of the messages that had been found at Che's place.

"Pumyra took a turn for the worse. I ordered Ben-Gali to stay with her. Tygra managed to get her heart started again but he thinks that there is more mucous and fluid in her lungs than what there should be considering she's on the medication," Lion-O explained.

"Great Jaga's toothbrush! When I get my hands on the bastard that did this…" Panthro slammed his fist into the desk.

"Right there with you," Lion-O nodded.

"Any luck with the background checks?" Cheetara asked, knowing that if they didn't stay focused they would not find who they were looking for.

"Nothing yet. I'm running all checks on all personnel in the Lair as well. This could take a few days," he said.

"A few days?" Lion-O looked at him.

"Regrettably, yes. It's hundreds of people," the panther sighed.

"Can we narrow the scope at all?" Lea asked without turning around from the electronic board she was having decipher the messages. It was a slow process but since Lynx-O had the key figured out and the board could read the pieces of paper placed on it, it was going faster than doing it by hand.

"I already eliminated those that would not have access to the lab itself, those on vacation, medical leave, and retirees. Who else do you think we could eliminate?" Panthro asked.

"Sounds like you got a chunk of names out of the way. There are still hundreds to go?" The lioness couldn't comprehend it.

"Down from almost a thousand. That lab facility houses a lot of things that a lot of people have access to at one point or another," he explained.

"Bugger," she shook her head.

"About the same terms I used," the panther admitted. He was about to say something else when his computer started beeping.

"What's that?" Cheetara asked.

"We have a hit on the financial records. The Bank of Thundera transferred funds from an account based on Space Hub Number Fifteen to an account in the name of…" the panther's look of confusion worried everybody.

"What is it?" Lynx-O asked, considering that he had no idea why the panther stopped.

"The account is in the name of Che's wife, Shara. That doesn't even make sense," Panthro spit out.

"No it doesn't. The only people who should have off planet accounts should be business people who travel a lot. Shara is a school teacher," Lion-O said, remembering speaking to the woman after her husband died.

"Lea, pull her background check up at Li-en's desk. Something is off," the panther said.

"You've got it," she nodded and quickly headed outside of the office. Sitting at the liger's desk, which was right outside, she pulled up records on Che which then led to his family's records including his wife.

"There doesn't seem to be any reason that she could legitimately set up an account," the lioness called back into the office.

"Bring her in. We need to talk," Lion-O said.

"I'll get the ThunderGuard on it," Panthro picked up the phone and placed a call.


	27. Chapter 27

"What is going on?" Shara asked as she sat down in the Conference Room. The ThunderGuard that delivered her did not answer her question and then left the room. She looked around and wondered why she'd been pulled out of quarantine and who was watching her children. They had all been cleared for the disease and the lima was glad that she had touched her husband's dirty tissues with gloves on. Suddenly the door opened and in walked Lion-O and Cheetara.

"My King!" Shara shot upright out of her chair and quickly bowed before him.

"Please have a seat. We have found some troubling things and we need to discuss them," the lion smiled slightly as he took a seat. He was uncertain if he could trust her but on the other hand, why would she kill her own husband and put herself and her children at risk? It was all very confusing.

"I will try to help in any way that I can," she nodded.

"Good. Now why do you have a bank account on Space Hub Number Fifteen?" Cheetara asked.

"I sell arts and crafts over the summer, here and on Third Earth. Sometimes I get orders from people on other planets so the family accountant thought I should set up an account. Why?" The lima wondered.

"There was a rather large deposit made to that account the other day from the Bank of Thundera. Someone on this planet paid you to that account and not to the one you share with your husband?" Lion-O had an eyebrow raised.

"There shouldn't have been. If someone here purchases something I usually take cash or a check and deposit it into my Bank of Thundera account. I have no idea why someone would transfer money to my Space Hub account," it was obvious to the two ThunderCats that the woman was in the dark as much as they were.

"Do you know someone by the name of Lo-ta?" Cheetara wanted to know.

"He's our accountant," Shara responded.

"He would have the routing numbers to all of your accounts correct?" Lion-O asked.

"Yes and he takes our payments for his services out of our account, rather than us paying him by check," she explained.

"Did your husband see him any time around the time of his death?" Cheetara inquired.

"I don't think so but you'd have to check with him. With Che's death, I found out that there was a lot I didn't know about him," Shara heaved a sigh and Cheetara immediately felt for her. She had created a family and a life with Che and he betrayed them all.

"Ok, we're going to have a chat with Lo-ta but you are going to stay here until we can verify your story," Lion-O said as he stood from his seat. The door to the room opened and the ThunderGuard took Shara into custody.

"Take her to the holding cells. We'll be back as soon as we can," Lion-O instructed.

"What about my children?" Shara asked as the ThunderGuardsmen grabbed her arms.

"They'll be safe with the Guard watching them," the lion reassured her. He then nodded and they took her away. She was crying as they did so and Cheetara looked at her husband to be.

"You really think she is lying?" She asked.

"It's quite possible she isn't but if her husband thought nothing of betraying his people for money then who is to say that she wouldn't be willing to do the same?" Lion-O shrugged before turning to the ThunderGuardsman at the door and ordering Lo-ta to be brought in.


	28. Chapter 28

"My King, we have some troubling news," Commander Cougara called into the Control Room from Lo-ta's house.

"More troubling than what we've already been dealing with?" Lion-O asked.

"On a scale of one to ten, ten," the cougar replied.

"Shit. What did you find?" The lion wanted to know.

"Well first we found the stolen Avian Plague vials and we also found the powder he mixed up to feed Che with. My guess is that he didn't make only one of those little packets," the cougar held up a container with a gloved hand. It was a large plastic tub which was labelled "lemonade".

"It gets worse. We found out that the bastard is nowhere to be found. Apparently when the quarantine alert went out, he didn't stay inside. The team at his office says that according to the other employees, they haven't seen him. I had my guys run a check on the liquids they found in the refrigerator and almost everything in there was contaminated. We've evacuated all the personnel to the hospital for an immediate checkup," Cougara continued.

"Sweet mother of Jaga. What was this Cat thinking?" Lion-O shook his head and placed it into his hands before running his hands through his hair.

"We found a manifesto. It's a long one. Thought the crime scene guys would want first crack at it," Cougara said.

"All right. I want an alert out to every team. I want his picture spread all over this planet and Third Earth. Tell people to not approach him. He could be armed besides having the virus on him. Lock everything down," Lion-O instructed.

"Yes sir," with that the call ended and the Lord of the ThunderCats slumped into the chair behind him.

"What should I do sir?" Punthar asked.

"Can we get a call into Mandora? This thing just got ten times worse," the lion said.

"I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, Lord Tygra called while you were on with the Colonel. He needs you in the med bay," the puma told him.

"I'm on my way," the lion nodded. He exited the room and bumped into Cheetara out in the hallway.

"Good news?" She asked.

"Worse news. Our guy is in the wind and he tried to poison his coworkers with the same powder that killed Che," he shook his head.

"Great Jaga," she heaved a sigh.

"Any luck with the wife?" He asked.

"She's either completely in the dark or she's the best liar I've ever seen. Panthro and Lea haven't found anyone else on the list of people who had access with money transfers. We're still missing something," she pointed out.

"We need a deeper background check on Lo-ta. He could have a girlfriend or someone who knows what he's been up to and has been too afraid to say anything," the lion said. He then turned toward the med bay and Cheetara followed.

"I can get Panthro and Lea on it. What's up?" She asked, curious as to where he was going.

"Tygra needs to see me. I have a bad feeling about it too," he said. She frowned. Usually when Lion-O was needed in the med bay it wasn't a good sign. As King, he was required to be there if a ThunderCat or ThunderGuard soldier was dying and being given last rights. Only the King could free them from their earthly duties as it were by telling them that they had served their people well and it was now time to join their ancestors. Cheetara knew it and she swallowed hard.

"King Lion-O, I have Mandora on the line," Punthar paged overhead. Cheetara promised to handle the call and bring the Evil Chaser up to speed as the lion continued onto the med bay.


	29. Chapter 29

While the ThunderCats struggled to find Lo-ta, the lynx did his best to stay hidden. Since everyone was supposed to be in quarantine and the only vehicles roaming the streets were ThunderGuard transports, he had to stay low and hide quite a bit. He worked his way from his office toward the hospital. It would be here, that he would make his final stand.

"Why do I have this feeling that we're chasing a whack job and he's leading us around in circles?" One of Colonel Cougara's men, a pumiger by the name of Fer, asked.

"Because we are chasing a whack job and it's quite possible he is leading us around in circles?" His partner, a lion by the name of Leo, smirked from the driver's seat of their transport.

"Guys, I think I got something," a voice from the back seat piped up.

"What is it Tooie?" Leo asked the tiger, using her nickname. Taka, was her real name, and she was the communications officer aboard and was monitoring the nearby cameras for anything suspicious as well as the radio.

"The hospital just had someone walk into the facility holding a large bag of something. Security was going to check him but he bashed the guard with his bag and took off," she explained.

"Lights and sirens! Buckle up!" Leo commanded to the crew which totaled five. Besides Fer, Leo, and Taka, their two weapons experts were a panther by the name of Arta and a liger by the name of Bo. Leo raced toward the hospital which was only a block and a half away. Arta got into his position in his seat and poked a series of buttons, lifting his seat up through the roof of the vehicle to the large gun mounted on the roof.

"All right, everyone out. Fan out and look for him but be careful. He could have the virus on him and he could be ready to inject us with it. Arta will stay with the truck and watch the entrance," Leo ordered.

"We supposed to bring him in alive?" Fer asked.

"Yes but I have my doubts he'll want to get caught. Still set everything to stun. I don't want to be the one explained to King Lion-O why he's dead," Leo said.

"Roger," Taka nodded. She headed inside and was immediately directed to the security office so she could send the team where they needed to go. Reinforcements were on their way as she radioed for back up.

"Ok guys, the hospital entered lock down mode. Our guy is definitely still in the building. I've got motion sensors being tripped on the fifth floor. It's our guy. He's heading toward the neonatal unit," she relayed what she saw on the screens.

"I don't like where his mind is going," Bo said.

"Neither do I. Let's get him," Fer said as they stepped off the elevator. Cautiously the team approached the nurses' desk. Outside they could hear more sirens and knew that back up had arrived.

"Where is the Cat that just walked in here?" Leo whispered to the nurse who was shaking in her seat. She just pointed around the corner. Bo helped her from the desk and got her to head toward the elevator.

"She said that the guy has a blaster and threatened to kill her if she didn't sit there and tell people the unit was off limits," he told the group in a low tone.

"Screw stun. I'm not letting anybody die for this asshole," Fer ordered. The team switched their safeties off and moved in with Taka giving them directions as they went. Then they were right near him. Taka told them to hold their position behind the door to the intensive care unit as the lynx was looking around, as if he'd heard something.

"We can't flash bang him with all those babies in there," Bo pointed out.

"I know," Fer shook his head. Leo radioed to Taka for her to kill the overhead lighting via the building's management system. She complied and Lo-ta swung around toward the door. When he saw no one, he went into his bag when the fire alarm sounded. As the building began evacuating, he knew that they were onto him and he had to move fast. Reaching back into his bag, Lo-ta grabbed the tub of infected lemonade powder.

"He's going for the infected powder tub. Get in there now!" Taka shouted over the radio. The team broke the door down and Fer shouted,

"Put the tub gently down on the floor!"

"You have no idea what you are doing," Lo-ta smirked. His free hand went to the small of his back.

"We need to see your hands! Set the tub down slowly and show us your hands!" Bo ordered.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. You see I know what will happen to me if I do so I'm going to take my chances," Lo-ta said. That's when Leo noticed what the lynx had in his other hand.

"Yes that's a detonator. One push of this button and the container in my hand will explode send the powder inside up into the air and into the ventilation system. Everyone in this room will be infected and everything the ventilation system touches will get a healthy dose of it too. Then there will be no stopping the virus unless the building is destroyed," he smirked.

"Fire will kill the virus so an explosion won't do you much good," Bo spoke up.

"That's why I built the "bomb" with a pressurized air machine," Lo-ta continued to smirk.

"Just set it down and we'll talk. No weapons, no bombs, just us talking," Fer tried to get him to be reasonable.

"I don't fear death boys, so the question is, do you?" Lo-ta asked as his finger went for the button.


	30. Chapter 30

"What's going on in there?" Lion-O asked as he arrived at the hospital with the other ThunderCats in the ThunderTank.

"A team has Lo-ta cornered in the neonatal unit with an improvised bomb that will send infected powder into the air. We set off the fire alarm and are evacuating the building. The alarm shut down the ventilation so it's going to get warm in there," Colonel Cougara filled the King in.

"How many babies are in the unit?" Cheetara wanted to know.

"More than I want infected. The team is trying to go nonlethal but we may not have a choice," the cougar explained.

"They have the clearance. Tell them to do whatever is necessary to protect the babies in that unit. Mandora may have our Mutant connection on the other end and I'm not risking anyone getting infected for this bastard," Lion-O told him. Cougara nodded and then went to the radio and quickly radioed the team that they had permission to do whatever was necessary to stop Lo-ta.

Upstairs, Fer was trying to get Lo-ta to back down but he wasn't giving them much of an option. He hadn't pressed the button on the homemade bomb after feeling the air stop blowing down from the diffusers in the ceiling.

"Do you really want to be that guy that killed a bunch of defenseless babies all because he didn't get what he wanted?" Fer asked.

"All I wanted was a happy life. That was taken from me the moment Thundera exploded. Everyone will know my pain when I press this button," Lo-ta smirked.

"A lot of Cats lost a lot that day. What does this prove?" Fer wanted to know.

"They have no idea the pain I went through! My wife went into labor early due to the stress of the evacuation. She died trying to bring our baby into the world and he died in my arms moments after he was born! I didn't even get to bury them! The ship I came in on floated in space for so long that we had to eject the mounting dead from the freezer storage. My wife and son are floating in space never to find a resting place!" The lynx's rage was undeniable as his thumb moved to the button. Fer tried to speak to him again but Bo fired his weapon before he could get a word in edgewise. The lynx dropped to the floor, a hole between his eyes, his thumb no longer on the trigger.

"Target is down! Target is down! We need containment in here!" Bo barked into his radio.

"Containment is on the way. Stand down Bo and hand over your weapon," Taka told him. The liger nodded and quickly removed the extra round from his blaster and then handed his weapon to his teammate Leo.

"Head downstairs and give your statement. We'll wait for containment to get here," Leo ordered.

"Yes, sir," Bo nodded and then he moved out of the room.

"He was nuttier than a fruitcake," Fer shook his head.

"The Colonel said that the manifesto they found certainly made it look that way," Leo nodded.

"You think he wasn't nuts?" Fer gave him a questioning look.

"I think uncontrollable grief will turn anyone nuts," the lion admitted.

"I could understand that if he'd just gotten off the ship but to take babies hostage after being here for almost a year?" His partner shook his head.

"Sometimes all someone damaged needs is a push. Find who was giving him the money and we'll have our answer," Leo said.


	31. Chapter 31

Lion-O finished up thanking Bo for his quick thinking and told him to take a few days off to make sure that he followed ThunderGuard procedure after a shooting that was not militaristic in nature. The liger thanked his King and promised to do what was required of him. Lion-O made a mental note to put him and the entire team that first arrived up for medals before hopping back into the ThunderTank and heading for the Lair.

"Mandora called again sir. She's waiting for the King's arrival," Punthar said via the radio.

"Thank you. Tell her we're two minutes out," Panthro responded.

"Will do," the puma responded.

"What I want to know is how the Mutants found Lo-ta and how did they get him to go and do such a thing," Lynx-O spoke up.

"I think we all want that. As it is, we'll have to bury him in an unmarked grave. Everyone who has relatives that were affected by this is going to want to see that he's dead," Cheetara pointed out, leaving out that there was the possibility of angry Cats digging up the body and taking their frustrations out on it. She didn't have to make a remark, everyone got her drift.

"All right everybody out," Panthro called from the front seat. They quickly disembarked and headed for the Control Room. Lea was already there along with the ThunderKittens. Punthar pulled the Evil Chaser up on the screen and turned on the audio.

"Ah, there you are. I was beginning to think you were dodging my calls," Mandora chuckled.

"I would never. Tygra needed me urgently in the Med Bay. So what did you find?" Lion-O partially smiled.

"I hope everyone is ok," Mandora said.

"We're hoping so too but Pumyra is still critical," the lion admitted. Mandora nodded and then quickly got down to business,

"I had a team sweep the homes and offices of all the scientists here who would have the knowledge on how to do what your Cat did with the Avian Plague. We found our guy. He sent instructions and money to Lo-ta who then sent money to Che. He claimed that he did it on his own but I have a forensic team searching everything this guy touched. My guess is that we'll find a connection to the Mutant High Council."

"Well that's good news. The only thing that still puzzles me is how they found Lo-ta. I mean it's not like he was on some list of high ranking officials or anything," Lion-O said.

"This may explain some things," Mandora looked down from her screen to her keyboard and punched up an image of what appeared to be frozen bodies imbedded into the front of a Mutant ship, floating in space. Outside the ship, were tethered Vultures looking at the damage.

"Seems that when the Thunderian ship was being chased by this ship, it didn't have the weapons to defend itself. The dead were loaded into the trash chute and fired at the ship. Given the velocity and the fact that they were already frozen, the bodies acted like missiles. It disabled the ship and the Thunderians were able to escape. We found the records of what happened while digging for records for the use for the fuel source on SG-17. They just noted the faces of the deceased before jettisoning them towards the nearest star. When they ran facial recognition, it seems Lo-ta's wife came up on the list of missing Thunderian Council members and personnel. From there, they quickly discovered who was left from her family and set about getting their hooks in them," she continued.

"I know everyone on the Council. I don't remember her," Lion-O said. He looked to his friends and they were just as confused.

"She might have been an aide. Either way, this was planned out before the attack on you guys last year," Mandora explained before zooming in on the picture and they noticed the date.

"It was their backup plan. They figured the first assault wouldn't work and they set things in motion for their retaliation," Panthro shook his head.

"Oh that they did. Not to worry though. We've got them right where we want them. The Space Council of Planets is seeing to that," she gave a wink.

"Well disaster averted in that sense. We'll be cleaning up this mess with the Avian Plague for a little while still," Lion-O relayed.

"Need any more assistance?" Mandora asked.

"We should be good. The scientists we rescued are helping and thankfully everyone is cooperating. We'll try to publish a list of the sick and the dead as soon as we can," he explained.

"All right, give me a shout if you need anything. Give my get well wishes to Pumyra," the Evil Chaser said.

"Will do. Thanks again," Lion-O responded. With that the call ended and Lion-O headed out of the room and toward the Med Bay while the rest of the ThunderCats dispersed to see if they were needed in the medical areas or out in the field.


	32. Epilogue

"Nervous?" Panthro asked as Lion-O fidgeted with his uniform. It felt tight and he was having trouble breathing. The two were in his quarters trying to get him ready for the evening.

"Do I look it?" The lion raised an eyebrow.

"Like a cat on a hot tin roof," the panther chuckled. Lion-O gave him a look before fiddling with the collar again.

"You guys ready yet?" Ben-Gali poked his head inside the door.

"What's the hurry?" Panthro raised an eyebrow.

"Oh I don't know. Maybe that Cheetara has been ready for a half an hour? Heck, even Pumyra was ready and she's dealing with the wheelchair," The tiger smirked as he remarked about the puma. They had saved her from the Avian Plague but she was working to regain her strength and her immune system. Sadly the baby did not make it but Pumyra refused to dwell on it, even though her friends had said it was all right if she did. The only way to try again was to get healthy and that's what she intended to do.

"You're really making him feel good," Panthro shook his head and threw one of Lion-O's pillows at him. Then Panthro grabbed Lion-O by the shoulders and horsed him out the door.

"We all good or what?" Tygra asked as they moved down the hallway and toward the front steps of the Lair.

"Why is everybody being so pushy?" Lion-O wanted to know.

"Oh maybe because it's the biggest day of the year and the entirety of space has been waiting for this moment?" Ben-Gali suggested.

"You're not helping," Panthro gave him a look.

"What took you guys so long?" Lea asked as they approached.

"Geez," Lion-O swallowed hard.

"He more nervous than when I took him out to learn how to drive the ThunderTank," the panther chuckled.

"Good grief man! Buck up!" His sister smacked him upside of the head.

"Not helping!" The lion said as they shoved him out the door first and then quickly followed.

"All hail King Lion-O!" Lynx-O boomed from his position to the left of the main doorway. The crowd quickly bowed to their leader and he smiled at them.

"You're more nervous than your father was. Great Jaga's toothbrush!" Lynx-O whispered to the lion after approaching him.

"How can you tell?" Lion-O wasn't trying to be rude but the lynx was after all blind.

"I can smell it," Lynx-O chuckled as the doors to the Lair opened up and Cheetara exited. Lion-O fully expected her to be wearing her dress uniform, as he was, for some reason and was incredibly surprised by the full length white gown she was wearing.

"Is he all right?" She whispered to Lea, noticing her fiancé seemed pale.

"He'll be better after everyone keeps staring at him. He's just nervous," the lioness smiled.

"Nervous? I don't think I've ever seen him nervous," the cheetah admitted.

"Well he's marrying his best friend so it shouldn't be awkward but he's wound pretty tight. Maybe he's just ready for tonight," Lea waggled her eyebrows and Cheetara blushed. It was a rare thing to see and for some reason it relaxed Lion-O. He smiled and seemed to gain a little color. They stood in front of the officiant and the ceremony seemed to go by in a blur.

"I now pronounce you King and Queen of Thundera. You may kiss the bride," the puma said. A cheer went up from the crowd and soon the party was in full swing. A new era had begun and it would usher in some good times and some bad but in the end it was nothing they couldn't face together.

 **T** **H** **E**   **E** **N** **D**


End file.
